Forgive Us Our Trespasses
by CelticKawaii
Summary: Three kids cross the Gate, but one of them comes out dead. Now lost in this strange new world, the only two survivors are confronted with a familiar face. My first story. Rated for blood and some swearing. OC's!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, or any of the characters therein. If I did, Alphonse would finally get to keep a kitty and Wrathy would still be alive. And Envy would take his shirt off! Yay!**

_I remember the first time someone had looked at me like a person. Not a monster, not an experimental mistake of nature, but another person. What was that word…empathy? Yeah, that's it. He looked at me with _empathy._ That's what made this human different from all the others. I can't count how many I've taken out before; how many humans fell prey to monsters like me. His eyes were full of fear and confusion, like all those countless others. But there was something else, almost a sort of _betrayal _in his eyes. And sadness, as though he understood my pain. He saw me as an equal, another person just like him. To him, it was as though I was ….human._


	2. Chapter 1: Birth of a New Vice

**Okay, so I read through the first few chapters of this, and decided that I should really expand on this story; there was a lot that I didn't put in here, a lot that got cut from the plot, that now I decided should've got its chance to shine. So, with that in mind, I've revised the story. It's the same plot, same deal, and most of it's kept intact, but there's now more detail and action, a lot more in it, and touch-ups from where my skill was in writing. I've worked on all that, and hopefully, that would mean more reviews. Fingers crossed!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, or any of the characters therein. If I did, Alphonse would finally get to keep a kitty and Wrathy would still be alive. And Envy would take his shirt off! Yay!**

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_I remember the first time someone had looked at me like a person. Not a monster, not an experimental mistake of nature, but another person. What was that word…empathy? Yeah, that's it. He looked at me with _empathy._ That's what made this human different from all the others. I can't count how many I've taken out before; how many humans fell prey to monsters like me. His eyes were full of fear and confusion, like all those countless others. But there was something else, almost a sort of _betrayal _in his eyes. And sadness, as though he understood my pain. He saw me as an equal, another person just like him. To him, it was as though I was ….human._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Birth of a New Vice  
(Envy's POV)**

My orders were simple, clear, familiar; bring her here, back alive, the new homunculus. I didn't see the point in it, but didn't argue with her; she was my Master, and no one argued with the Master. She wanted me to bring in another.

"Master," I asked, cautiously. "why do you want me to bring in another sin? There's seven of us, right?"

"She'll serve the purpose of being an attache," she explained. "In case something should happen to any of you seven,"

I didn't think about it until I was almost inside the run-down building, but it hit me...those last words that she said, 'In case something should happen...'

_But why would anything happen to_ us_?_ I wondered. _We're homunculi. Immortal. What could happen to an immortal that we'd need a replacement?_ But this wasn't the time for questions. It was following orders, nothing more.**  
**

I walked into the abandoned building, going over the routine in my head. I'd done this a few times before, and you'd think the old broad would be satisfied with seven sins. But no, apparently we needed a new recruit, and it just so happened that yet another idiot tried to bring back a human with alchemy.

Crossing the threshold of the doorway, I peered around at the gorey scene where moments ago, human transmutation was attempted. There was blood everywhere, splashed about the floor, trailing out the doorway, and spattered all over the walls; if this guy had actually _lived_ through this, it was a miracle. Then, my eyes focused on the mangled heap of a thing lying in the center of the room. In hindsight, this one was worse than Lust had been, but still better than Sloth. I couldn't help but wonder if _I _actually looked that bad. Granted, I've definitely seen worse, but this one looked pretty messed up.

"Well, hello, gruesome," I said, making my presence known.

I crossed the room to meet beside the torn-up mess, crouched down next to it, red stones in hand, just as I had done so many times before.

"'You're lucky I got here in time; as screwed up as your lungs look, you'd have suffocated in minutes,"

It made a few strained, squeaking breaths in response. I sighed, dropped the incomplete Philosopher's Stones into its mouth, and watched as it choked them down. After a minute of coughing and gagging, the stones were at last swallowed, and the transformation began to take place. A brilliant flash of white light for a few seconds, causing me to squint. Faintly, I could make out its shape morph and contort into something more humanlike, until finally, the light disappeared, and the creature took on the shape of a young teenage girl. Long, spidery frame with stringy arms and legs curled against her body, as her straight dark hair covered her upper back down to her shoulder blades. She was gasping for breath.

I whistled. "Well, you sure clean up nice,"

She was too busy taking in air with her new lungs to hear me. She whipped her head around the room frantically, turning at last to face me. Her lime-green eyes were wild with fear and curiosity. Since the red stones didn't provide clothing, she was naked, and though I didn't care about seeing anything, I made it a point not to look while handing her some clothes.

"Where are we?" she inquired, still with her back towards me but not apparently concerned with dressing "What happened here?"

"Could you get dressed first and then we'll talk?" I said, covering my eyes with one hand. She pouted, but did as she was told.

"Okay," she said, now wearing the tube and shorts given to her. "Now could you tell me? Where am I and how did I get here,"

"You're in a condemned building, where somebody tried to bring you back," I said casually.

"'Bring me back?' From _what_? Did it work? And...and what do you mean condemned?"

I facepalmed. "Ho boy. Look kid, I'll explain later, but we're strapped for time. We need to head back,"

"Back where?" she continued to ask. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Kid, I promise I'll answer all your questions later, but right now, you'll just have to come with me," With that, I grabbed her wrist and proceeded out the door, but she slapped my hand away and defiantly protested.

"I want to know _now_!" she demanded. "I can't wait 'till later, I want answers!"

Normally, this would merely serve to piss me off, but I decided I would have some fun with this one. After all, she was a teenager; _of course_ she'd be difficult. Then again, when you wake up in a bloody room in a run-down building, naked, you'd want answers too. Still, that wasn't a priority.

"Stubborn one, eh? Well, in that case, I'll give you a choice. You can either come with me nicely, or you can take off. But the next time I run into you, believe me, it won't be pleasant."

She glared at me for a second, but pondered her options. Finally, she made her decision.

"I prefer to take my chances, thanks." she said flatly.

Wow, this kid's got a death wish! "Alright then; it's your choice, don't say I didn't warn you!"

That last statement made her think. But nonetheless, she headed in the opposite direction, glancing over a couple of times to look back at me.

"You're leaving, right? Go on then, beat it,"

"If you won't tell me what I need to know..." she said, before taking off...out a window, no less.

_The nerve in you, girl, _I thought. _You'll learn. _

* * *

**(Vengeance's POV)**

I gingerly stepped outside, looking over my shoulder with every step. After finding my way onto a ledge, I walked the length of the building between the hard, grey wall and a chain-link fence, until I made my way into an alley. From there, I jumped down from the ledge to a dumpster, and then landing on the ground, managing to cut my foot on some broken glass.

"Rrgh! He could've gave me some shoes!" I grumbled, plucking the shard out of my sole. I rubbed the open wound, hopping over to a clear spot against a wall. I sat down, squeezing my foot. Oddly, it seemed to be closing up...too fast, actually.

"What?" I asked. There was no blood, broken skin, nothing. Just strange.

"I have to think this out," I said aloud to myself. "That guy, the one with the funky outfit and the stringy hair...why was he in such a hurry? And how did I get in that place? How come I don't remember?"

It was dumb to talk to myself like this, so I sighed. _I don't have a clue what's up here,_ I thought, _but whatever it is, it's just plain creepy._ I crouched down in the dark corner of an alley, wondering what to do next._ I can't hide here forever, _I thought. Running a finger up and down the strange markings* that stretched from the tops of my feet to my kneecaps, I sighed. _Knowing my luck, as soon as I come out of here,_ he'll _find me again._ I recalled his warning to me, that if I saw him again, it "wouldn't be pleasant," whatever that meant. I traced the markings running up my right arm when I found an unusual symbol. On my upper arm was a mark of some sort, in the shape of a dragon or snake thing forming a circle; in the center of it was a six-pointed star, like a Jewish Star of David. _What am I?_ I sat curled up, propping my back against the wall, dazed as ever. _Guess I won't get an answer just hiding here,_ I concluded. _I can't live in fear of that palmtree-haired-guy. Heh, palmtree - yes, _that's_ what that mop of a head reminded me of._ He was pretty weird in his own right, the guy who came and fed me the stones. He had an unsettling feel to him, from the stare of those icy purple eyes.

"Fine then," I breathed, standing up for once, "Catch me if you can, palm-tree-hair guy. I won't let you scare me," And with that, I ventured out of my hiding place, out of the alley.

* * *

**Well, there it is. Hope it came out okay; I wanted to expand on what happened after Venge took off. That, and I realized I never mentioned the part about clothing...homunculi don't magically have clothes on. I guess no one caught that, huh? Well, it bugged me. Anyway, hope the "revised/expanded edition" is alright. Review!**


	3. Chapter 2: One Angry Sin!

**Yay! I published my first story! Thanks for the review, NebulaCoyote! ^_^ **

**Note: this takes place in the anime/first series, so Pride is Bradley, Wrath is the adorable kid, Sloth is a girl, and Envy's a guy. **

**I'll be switching POV's a lot throughout the story. That's just how I roll. This chapter will be told from my OC's perspective; oh boy! Can't wait to see what goes on inside **_**her**_** head!**

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_I crouched down in the dark corner of an alley, wondering what to do next. _I can't hide here forever, _I thought. Running a finger up and down the strange markings* that stretched from the tops of my feet to my kneecaps, I sighed. _Knowing my luck, as soon as I come out of here, he'll find me again._ I traced the markings running up my right arm when I found an unusual symbol. On my upper arm was a mark of some sort, in the shape of a dragon or snake thing forming a circle; in the center of it was a six-pointed star, like a Jewish Star of David. _What am I? _I pondered._

_

* * *

_

I woke up with a splitting headache, half dazed and dizzy. _What the hell happened to me? _I wondered. Peering around the large, opulent room, my eyes finally caught sight of another person. Then the memories exploded back in my head like fireworks. The incident under the bridge; the lady with the claws, the fat guy who wanted to eat me….and that **bastard **who knocked me out!

"Oh, good. You're awake," he commented nonchalantly.

"You!" I pointed. "You're the asshole who beat me up under the bridge!"

"Aw, you remembered," he taunted sarcastically. "Have a nice nap?"

"I'm gonna kill you!" I stormed over him, ready to lunge at his throat.

He merely looked amused at my frustration, as if it were all some joke to him. I was ready to rip that stupid smirk off his face, when another voice stopped me short.

"Envy, did you bring in our new homunculus?"

I turned to see who it was. It was an old woman who couldn't have looked more self-important.

"And who the hell are you?" I demanded. "Are you the one who sent this guy to get me?"

"Um, duh," replied Envy, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't ask you!"

"Drop the attitude brat. It's not cute anymore,"

I turned to the pompous old broad, glaring daggers. "You think I'm gonna take this crap from you? I swear you're gonna pay for this! You and all your little freak show entourage!"

Envy chuckled evilly. "Look who's talking! You're a freak too, you little brat!"

The old woman simply ignored my statement. "Lust, show Vengeance to her room. And Envy, you're in charge of her from now on. I'm sure you can keep her in line."

The lady with the claws (who apparently was Lust) motioned for me to follow her. I came along, even though I didn't want to (I didn't want her using her claws on _me_) and followed her up the large marble staircase. I turned back to look at Envy about halfway up the stairs. _Whoa. From here he almost looks like – _but before I could even finish the thought, my nose collided with cold, hard marble with a slam.

"Ow!" I screamed. _Dammit! Now I'm gonna look like Owen Wilson!_

Envy was in hysterics, rolling on the floor laughing like the maniac he was. I whipped my head around, holding my now-bleeding nose.

"Nice going, Ultimate Klutz!"

"Shut up! Just shut up right now!" I hollered, my face turning beet red.

"Come on, Vengeance," Lust helped me back to my feet, as I continued to hold my nose. "Just ignore him,"

"I'm not a pushover," I hissed. "I won't let some bastard like him push me around like that!"

"You need to learn to keep your mouth shut. It'll save you a lot of trouble,"

We at last made it up the stairs, when (to my amazement) my nose was fully intact.

"Whoa," I marveled. "How did I do that?"

Lust chuckled "You're a homunculus now. You can regenerate from pretty much anything."

We walked down a long hallway, as I tried to pronounce it in my head. _Homocu…munolu…humocu…gah! Whatever the hell it is! _After finally giving up on deciphering the word, I was promptly tackled to the ground out of nowhere.

"Are you my new sister?" asked a little boy. He looked about ten, had long, black hair, and gazed at me with the most adorable baby blue eyes.

"Vengeance, this is Wrath," said Lust, introducing the youngster. _Wait, did he just say _sister_? I don't ever remember being anyone's _sister_, but I certainly wouldn't mind having _him_ for a brother._

"I've never had a brother before," I said.

* * *

**Aw, Wrathy has a big sister! I'm sure the honeymoon won't last too long. Boy, Vengeance really lives up to her name. Coming up: Vengeance and Envy face off!**

**Please comment on this chapter. Or else Vengeance will freakin' kill you! XD**

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*Not the kind of markings that PrideEd had in BBI. These are the same 'markings' that run up Lust's arms and across Envy's back.


	4. Chapter 3: Curbstomp

**Hooray! I've got Chapter 3 out! Thanks Infamousplot and NebulaCoyote for the reviews. ^_^ I would've had this out sooner, but my computer wouldn't let me onto the internet. Anyways, this is the part where I shut up and get on with the story.**

**A/N: The 'prologue' is told from Vengeance's POV, and the rest is Envy's POV.**

_I looked around at my new room. _It's way too big, _I thought. Just then, the bastard of the hour kicked the door open and strolled in like it was his room. "You know, there's a thing called _knocking; _ever hear of it?" He only shrugged. "Yeah? So what? Deal with it brat," I was ready to lunge at his throat right now. "I swear, I'll make you pay for taking me here! When I kick your cocky ass and make you pay…" he only laughed evilly, still not taking what I said seriously, "I'd like to see that happen," I growled. "Oh, and you will, Envy!" He nodded. "Tomorrow," and with that, he walked out. Wrath (who had been in the room the whole time) looked at me surprised. "You're really gonna beat up Envy, sis?" I smiled. "You bet I am," "Promise?" I imagined totally pwning that self-righteous jerk, grinning from ear to ear. "I promise,"_

**Okay folks; this is the part where you stop and pick a side. (Hint: if you're not sure who to root for, watch the FMA OVA! XD)

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**

I waited for Vengeance in the clearing in the forest, where we agreed to meet last night. What I still couldn't get over was this brat's belief that she actually stood a chance. And I though _I_ had delusions of grandeur! Finally, I saw her coming. Apparently, she had raided the closet this morning, because her outfit was completely different; and it looked suspiciously like mine! Well, save for the fact that the gloves and stockings reached up to her elbows and knees, and a black spaghetti-strap halter Also, her deep, chestnut hair was tied back into a sort of a bun, but with a bunch of strands sticking out from it. I looked her up and down.

"Like the new look?" she asked.

"Hardly,"

"I put my hair back; it was hiding my gorgeous face,"

Oh great, she's vain too! "Yeah, that _kilt _you're wearing belongs to me by the way,"

She looked puzzled for a moment. " 'Kilt?' I thought it was a skort. And besides, I just saw this thing lying around…"

"Stay out of my closet!" I snapped.

"Well _come out of it!_" she taunted. With that, I grabbed hold of her halter and picked her up by it.

"Hey now! This is kind of indecent!"

"Do you really want to piss me off, you pathetic little imp?" I said through gritted teeth.

"Are we here to chit-chat, or are we gonna actually…"

Before she could finish, I backhanded her right across the face, and tossed her to the ground.

"I wasn't ready yet! That was dirty!"

"There's no such thing as dirty in a fight, short stack!"

She knew what I meant by short stack (perhaps the fact that she barely filled that halter), and boy was she sensitive about it!

"You take that back, Palm Tree!"

As if I've never heard _that one _before. "Oh, did I hit a nerve?"

Vengeance lunged at me in a wild rage, her face beet red. I quickly dodged her, but noticed that her hand was bright red, as if she got a really bad sunburn. _What the hell?_ Suddenly, she caught hold of my arm, which, to my surprise, felt like it had touched a hot stove. I immediately thrusted her off, ramming her into a nearby tree. Glancing at my arm, I saw that it in fact _had _been burned.

"So you can superheat your body, huh?" I observed as she stumbled back to her feet.

"There's more where that came from," she said. "You're holding back, aren't you?"

"Yes, actually,"

"Don't,"

She _definitely _had a death wish! Basically, within the next two minutes, I had managed to knock her to the ground three times. Unfortunately, she happened to be a sore loser.

"I win," I taunted to the scrawny little brat.

"I haven't lost yet!" she protested defiantly.

She got up, only to get slammed back onto her dumb ass yet again. "Knock it off, Envy!"

I chuckled darkly. "You don't get it, do you Vengeance? You don't have a chance against me. It's better if you save yourself the trouble and just give it up now,"

"No!" she resisted. "_You're _the one who won't get it! I won't have some idiot like you push me around! I'm not a patsy, dammit!" At this point, she was no longer amusing; now she was just plain irritating.

"I won't take orders from some dumb old hag, and especially not from some ugly hermaphroditic fag like you!" That did it. I grabbed her by the wrist and said "Okay, you whiney little bimbo," and lifted her off the ground for the second time.

"Wait! Envy, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just put me down! I take it back, please!" she begged. The look on her face reminded me of Wrath when someone mentioned the Gate. I put her down, where she collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"What's the matter, kid? Did I hurt you or something?"

"N-no, it's not that," she stuttered, "It's just that I don't like being picked up by my wrists. I-I just freak out. I don't know why…" This suddenly gave me an idea. A wicked smile spread across my face, as I reached down and grabbed her wrist again.

"Wait, you won't…"

"That's up to you, Venge," I said coyly. "If you can do as you're told and _not _piss me off, this won't become a regular thing,"

"That's cruel,"

"I never said I wasn't. But hey, whatever works, right?" Just for the fun of it, I lifted her up one last time before dropping her bony ass back to earth once again. I then started to walk away, but looked back at the sad little sin. She looked a bit shaken, but I could hear the words 'You bastard,' being mumbled under her breath. Just then, I thought of one last way to torture this brat.

"Oh, and by the way," I said, looking at her from over my shoulder. "You are to address me as 'Sensei' from now on. You no longer deserve to be considered my equal anymore,"

I just knew that killed her. I watched as she slowly stood up, her eyes to the ground, and followed.

"Mm-hm," I faintly heard her grunt.

"What was that?"

"Yes….Sensei,"

* * *

**Woo-hoo! Pwnage! What, you didn't think Vengeance was gonna win, did you? I feel bad for her though. Ya know, even though she called my favorite bishie an ugly fag, and made those gay jokes about him, I still feel bad. And that whole thing where she hates being picked up by the wrist, that actually comes from some trauma in her human past. **

**Oh no, what's Wrathy gonna think? Didn't Venge promise him she'd win? Stay tuned!**


	5. Chapter 4: A Mass of Contadictions

**I'm sorry this didn't come out sooner. People weren't reviewing, so I stubbornly refused to write anything until someone gave me reviews for chapter 3. *smirks*Thanks so much, NebulaCoyote! ^_^**

**Anywho, this chapter is in Venge's POV. If you're not **_**too **_**mad at her for calling Envy an ugly hermaphroditic fag…Envy is **_**not**_** ugly! Now, on with the story!**

"Didja beat 'im? Didja beat 'im? Didja beat 'im?" he asked rapidly. I looked into his big blue eyes – well, at least the one that wasn't hidden by his thick, black hair. It was then I remembered what I had promised him the night before. And now, I had to tell him that I couldn't hold to...that I didn't keep that promise...

"No, Nii'san, I lost," I mumbled, embarrassed. I couldn't look him in the eye and tell him, it was too much.

"_What?" _he gasped. He was _so _disappointed. I felt like crap already, after having to lose to Envy, and now letting my little bro down. Just then, he kicked me in the shin.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"You promised!" he said, looking angrily at me.

"Nii'san,"

"No!" he said angrily "I'm not your brother anymore!"

Oh, that nasty little… as he stormed off pouting, I hollered after him, "Well if you just wanna be a cheap sellout and disown me on a whim!"

I could hear cackling from behind me. I turned face that creep. "This is all _your _fault!" I growled, pointing at him.

He just gave me a stupid smirk. "My fault? Look, _you're _the one who promised him; and you couldn't keep to it, right? How is that my fault, hm?"

I made a move to strangle the bastard, but he promptly caught hold of my wrist and lifted me up to eye level.

"And where do you have the right to come and attack _me?_" he asked, as he watched me writhe in the air. "I don't care if you don't like it here; you're just lucky you're even alive, got it, you little brat?" I nodded. "I think you owe me an apology. That is, unless you want to stay hanging,"

"S-so-sorry," I stuttered. He dropped me back down, and walked away. I mumbled probably every curse word in the book (I wonder if there _is _a whole book on curses.) under my breath, before getting up and heading for my room.

I crouched in a corner of the closet, thinking over the events of the day. The fight, Envy knocking me to the ground three, four, five, maybe six times. Then him discovering my 'weakness,' and threatening to use it against me. having to tell Wrath that I had lost, even though I _promised _him I'd win. Him being so disappointed, and getting so _mad_ that he disowned me. _I hate them all,_ I thought. _All of them, Envy, Dante, Lust, Wrath; all of them. _Just then, I heard a knock at my door. _Don't you _dare _come in!_ I said mentally. Whoever it was couldn't hear me, and they strolled right in anyway.

"Venge? You there?"

Ugh! It had to be _him! _"Just get out, Envy!"

He heard me from the closet, and came inside. "You're supposed to call me 'Sensei,' remember?" I sighed. "And what the hell are you doing in here kid?"

"That room's too big. I like it in here,"

"Um…okay,"

"I don't want you in here, you know,"

"All the more reason to come on in,"

I heaved out a heavy sigh again. "Why do you hate me so much?"

He chuckled. "Don't take it personally. I know I'm an ass, but that's just how I am. Live with it,"

"What did I ever do to you?" I moaned.

"Aw, poor, poor little Vengeance! Such a poor little martyr," he mocked, patting me on the shoulder. I heated it up so he'd stop.

"Stop it!" I said, whipping his hand away. "Just leave me the hell alone!" I could feel hot tears welling up in my eyes. _Great! That's just what I need. More for him to taunt me about._

Suddenly, Envy did the last thing I expected. He wrapped his arm around my abdomen and pulled me toward him. My eyes bugged out, wondering what he intended to do.

"What are you doing?" I asked, taken aback.

"Pissing you off," he replied gleefully, "You're so much fun to annoy,"

"Stop! I don't want you glomping me!" I tried to struggle away, but I had better luck with an iron bar. I was now close to his side, _way _closer than I ever would have liked to be. Before I knew it, I was in a constricting bear hug. He knew I couldn't stand it, and the more pissed I got, the more amused he became. Finally, I decided to heat up my whole body just so he would let go. When he did, I glared at him hatefully.

"Don't you want to hear about how you were created? I promised I'd tell you everything, didn't I?"

This guy couldn't be serious. "Are you bipolar?" I asked purely out of amazement.

"And why are you always in such a pissy mood? Just wondering," he said, completely bipassing the question.

"Well," I breathed, thinking hard about what to answer, "It's like there's these screams inside me. They keep sceaming and crying; always angry and...sad, and confused and scared. They're getting...stronger...it's worse now than yesterday. I don't know, but they're all mad," I said. The more I explained, the more I realized I sounded frickin' insane. He nodded in an understanding way.

"Yup, that's normal," he said, as if I had just told him that I breathe air.

"What? How the hell is that 'normal?"

"That comes with being a homunculus," he said. "You've got a thousand or so souls screaming inside you. You'll be nice and insane in, oh, a few weeks, maybe," (Could this guy get any creepier?)

"What in God's name do you mean 'a thousand or so souls?' What the hell are you frickin' saying?"

"From your Philosopher's Stone; remember the red stones I gave you?" he smiled wickedly.

"So, why the hell would you-"

"It's the price you pay for being alive; it's an equivalent exchange,"

I pondered those last two words in my head. _Equivalent exchange. Where have I heard those words before? Why was it so familiar to me? Why was I now this hollow being with so many screaming, crying angry souls inside me? They bashed the interior of my brain; they wanted out; they wanted to avenge the injustice done unto them; they cried for...vengeance. _

"Why do I feel so..._hollow?" _I thought aloud.

"You don't have a soul of your own," answered Envy. "The Stone at your core serves as your life."

This was almost too much to take in at once. I held my head, now throbbing with the burden of all this knowledge. _Homunculus; to be a homunculus is to have so many souls screaming inside you, but none to call your own; to never die, but to never trully be alive either; to be a homunculus is to be...a mass of contradictions._

"You're taking this a lot better than Wrath did," Envy finally broke my thoughts. "He actually started crying when I told him," He said this a little too amused for my taste.

"You said something about somebody 'trying to bring me back.' What did you mean by that?"

"Well Venge, when a human dies, there are idiots in the world who try to play God and bring them back to life," he began. "They try to use alchemy to revive them,"

"Alchemy...that rings a bell,"

"Yes, I'm sure you know something from your human past about it; anyway, there's a taboo in alchemy; namely, human transmutation. Since the law of equivalency applies to human souls, there's nothing that equals their worth. So, whenever someone tries to transmute a human back to life, it fails, and the fool usually ends up dead or dismembered.

"So someone is...is to blame for all of this," I said slowly. "The reason I'm here...some bastard..."

"Who's probably dead,"

"They _can't _be!" I exclaimed. "If they were, their body would've been there, right?"

"Good point," he admitted, "But there was a trail of blood...humans generally don't live through that much blood loss,"

"But there's a chance," I said, looking at him with a serious expression. "that they might still be alive, then...I want to find the bastard...and when I do..." my face contorted into a phychotic smile* "...I'll make sure he suffers!" I whispered, thinking that Envy's insanity was starting to rub off on me.

He laughed evilly, "My, Vengeance, you really do live up to your name.

Raven stood nervously by the door of the patient's room, chewing ravonously at her lower lip. When the nurse finally stepped out, she anxiously inqired "Is he gonna be okay?"

"He'll be fine," she replied in a friendly tone. "He seems to be doing well. His appetite is definitely there," she chuckled.

Raven stepped into the room where a boy with thick black hair lay in a hospital bed with a tray in front of him.

"Josh?"

"Mm...oh, hey Rae,"

"You okay?" she asked out of concern. Granted, she didn't _really _know him too well; her friend's friend, to put it into terms, but she had a natural tendency to care for other people - sometimes in a kind of maternal way. Joshua was no exception.

"How's your, uh, leg?" she inquired of him.

"Heh, what leg? It's all gone now!" he joked. That was typical of him; to brush off pretty much everything with a pun. Even losing his own leg.

"I just can't believe you would actually _eat _that hospital food," Raven said, cleaning her thick glasses.

"Hey, it's not half bad," replied Josh, taking another bite of chicken nuggets.

"What goes in must come out," Raven pointed out.

Josh realized that she had a point; his thick black eyebrows raised up in revelation of the fact.

"Oh," he said with a mouth full of chicken. He shrugged, "Oh well,"

Raven rolled her eyes. He may have been a total dweeb, but what lay behind those dark brown eyes was the pain that comes from the loss of a friend; a friend that they had once known so well...

"What are we gonna do about a replacement for my leg, Rae?"

"I dunno," she sighed. "I hear you can get mechanical replacements...I think it's called _automail. _It's pretty expensive though,"

"Sounds good," he said, laying back after cleaning off his plate.

"Um, 'expensive?' As in how are we gonna afford it?"

"We'll think of something," Josh said, closing his eyes. He wanted to simply not worry about auto-whatever-the-hell-it-was, about not having a leg; about failing to revive his friend.

Raven, however, continued to worry. Julia was so close to her; and when they had crossed the Gate together, they had come out alright; but _she_ wasn't breathing. Josh didn't tell her what he did with her body; but then, he didn't have to.

**Phew! I have to say, this is probably the longest chapter so far; I really like how Envy's explanation of a homunculus to Vengeance came out; I think the way he explained it to Wrath was similar. I've always wondered what it's like to be a homunculus; maybe that's why homunculi are all crazy! And...we get to meet some human characters! Yay! Boy, Josh is a brave soul; snarfing down **_**hospital food!**_** Please, please review this chapter - I check the stats on this you know! SamTheShoryMan, I'm watching you! XD Please review, or Vengeance will use her heat powers on you all!**


	6. Chapter 5: Told in Dreams and Tears

************

**So, I'm feeling really good about how the fourth chapter turned out. I cringed at all the spelling mistakes, though. A big thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, or faved my story. *hands out cookies*  
Thanks in particular to: Infamousplot, NebulaCoyote, KingofHeartless'09, SilverMoonKitty, and anyone else I missed! Thank you all! ^_^**

**A/N: Okay, so for those of you who don't know, this story takes place around episode 30, so Dante is still the old woman, we've already been introduced to Wrath and Sloth, Greed's not dead...all that jazz.**

**Okay, so we've met two human OC's, and one of them is missing a leg. Let's get a better look at these two...  
This story will be told from Josh's POV, and then it will skip over to Venge. Enjoy!**

* * *

__

I woke up in a cold sweat, breathing hard as I jolted upright in bed. I was in the hospital. _Just a dream, _I thought. But it wasn't to me; to me, it was real. I remembered her so well; olive-brown eyes, auburn-brown hair, pale skin that always managed to get a sunburn. Ju was one of the guys, hanging out at the 'nerds' table even when she had the chance to ditch us for the cool crowd. I remembered the day she discovered alchemy, and how we learned it together. And then, the day she invited her old friend Raven to test out a transmutation. It was hard to believe Julia was dead; one day she was there, loud, energetic, lively, and now…on November 2nd* ,gone. Just like that.  
"Ugh," I moaned, clutching the place where my leg used to be. "It hurts!"

In the course of my complaining, I managed to wake Raven up. She'd been sleeping in a chair in my room, and _man_ did it look uncomfortable.

"Unn….hey, Josh, you awake?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I had a bad dream,"

"Oh, I'm sorry,"  
"Nah, it's cool. My leg - well, what's left of it – just hurts. That's all."

"Oh,"

We were silent for a while. I didn't know what else to say to her; funny thing was, Ju was the only girl I knew how to talk to. Raven, well…that was a different story.

"Are they gonna serve breakfast yet?" I asked after hearing my stomach growl. "I'm starved,"

"You amaze me," Raven said, rolling her eyes. "Food from the hospital…how do you stand it?"

"It's a hospital," I shrugged, "Wouldn't that make it _better? _I mean, you know, since the goal is to get you back to normal?"

Raven facepalmed. "Whatever works,"

I tried to get out of bed, Raven coming over to help me out. "I've got this," I told her.

"You've got _one leg,"_ she pointed out, raising an eyebrow. I sighed.

"It's fine,"

"No it's not!"

"Raven – Ow!"

I didn't want her helping me out of bed – even though she'd insist. I know I lost my leg, but I could still manage!

"Ugh! Men! So stubborn!" she groaned.

"Maybe I just don't need your help!"

"Can't you just swallow your pride for once and accept my help?"

"I already told you I've got this – ahh!"

In the course of the struggle, I fell out of bed and landed right where my leg used to be.

"Ow!"

"This wouldn't have happened if you just let me help –"

"I told you I didn't need your help!" I snapped.

Her voice began to crack as she said "W-why do you have to be like that? I was only trying to help…"

"Aw, c'mon, don't start crying," I said. I didn't know how to deal with girls crying…and Rae cried easy. Bad combo.

"Heh, look at us! We're falling apart! Ju's dead, and we can't even get along. How is it that we were _both_ friends with her?"

"Agh! I miss her!" she wailed, streams of anime-tears pouring out her eyes. Oh crap!

* * *

Wrath ran down the darkened hallway, tears streaming down his cheeks. He had had another nightmare about the Gate, and Mommy wasn't here to console him this time. In vain he rushed into her room, but her bed was empty. She was working overtime at the Fuehrer's office, so she couldn't be home for him. He whimpered as he curled into a fetal position on her bed, utterly heartbroken. Unfortunately, in the course of his antics, he had managed to wake up perhaps the two most violent homunculi in the house.

"What the hell are you whining about _now,_ Momma's Boy?" sneered a thoroughly pissed-off Envy. Vengeance followed close behind.

"Sis!" wailed Wrath, running up and wrapping his mismatched arms around her. Vengeance looked over at Envy for answers.

"Another damn nightmare," he explained, "He gets these damn nightmares about the Gate all the time! He thinks it gives him the right to wake up everyone in the whole damn house – "

"The Gate?"

"Yeah, he grew up there. It traumatized him,"

Wrath continued to cry as he buried his face into Vengeance's torso. That's when the elder sin remembered his offense against her.

"'Sis?' _Now _I'm your sister? Whatever happened to 'I'm not your brother anymore,' huh?" she said, pushing him off of her. The little boy stood devastated.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" he moaned, another flood of tears releasing from his eyes. "I take it back! Please forgive me!" he fell back on the floor and curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth. Envy may have found this amusing, but the little homunculus' plea was tugging at the girl's heartstrings. Suddenly, she did the last thing anyone – including Wrath – expected.

"I think you've learned your lesson, eh Nii-san?" she said, crouching down on the floor beside him and hugging him. "It was only a dream," she reassured the boy.

"Wow! Who knew you were such a sucker for the kid?" taunted Envy.

"He got what he deserved," Venge explained, "He broke down and cried in front of me; that's plenty revenge for me,"

He shrugged. "Whatever you say,"

She continued to comfort him until he finally fell asleep.

"Wanna help me carry him back to his room En- uh, Sensei?" she asked the elder sin.

"Nope,"

"And why not?" she asked in an agitated tone.

"Because you lulled him to sleep. And besides, you could use the workout,"

Vengeance struggled to carry her brother back to his own bed without dropping him, and stormed back into Sloth's room somewhat more frustrated.

"You could've helped me, you know,"

"Yeah, but I didn't. Get over it,"

She stormed away to her own bed, annoyed at the rude gesture.

"You'd have done it if it were Lust," she called back to him.

* * *

**To be continued…so, please review. If you liked it; review. If you hated it; review. If you think any of my OC's are Sues, dammit, review! PLEEEAASSSSSSEEEEEEEE!1!111!ONE!1111!UNE!11111!2!*foaming at the mouth***

* * *

*Joshua's attempt to revive Julia took place on Halloween (October 31st). Technically, this would be considered Venge's birthday.


	7. Chapter 6: Siblings

I woke up the next day feeling as though I didn't even sleep last night. If there was one thing I hated, it was mornings. I crawled out of bed, with one eye still glued shut, and stumbled to a mirror. I attempted to pry my shut eye open with my fingers, only to have it snap shut once again. The one eye that was open stared back with a drowsy yellow-green gaze, beneath a wild mass of dark brown knots. My skin, which had always been pale, lacked what little color it even had to begin with. In short, I just woke up.

"Good _Lord, _I hate mornings!" I moaned. Just at that moment, my bedroom door burst open with a bang, and the wonderful bastard himself strolled right in.

"You're up, great," he said, sauntering over toward me. I glared at him with my open eye.

"En - Sensei, could you at least _knock _for God's sakes?"

"Deal with it," he replied, the usual smug look in his violet eyes.

"Is there something you need me for? Or did you just barge in here to be a jerk?"

"You're coming to Central today,"

"What? Central?"

"Are you deaf? Yes!" he said, as my other eye finally popped open.

"You mean I finally get to be away from this stupid nowhere land? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, I know you're devastated, but try not to be _too _upset," he said in a sarcasm-drenched tone, rolling his eyes as he saw me getting giddy.

"I actually get to go _out!_" I exclaimed gleefully. "Finally!"

It had been about a month since I first got here, and it didn't take long for me to grow tired of the mundane routine of the mansion. Sure, it was a big house, but that naturally meant _big chores_, many of them being dumped on me. And now that I finally got to get _out..._

"You can let go of me now,"

"Wha- oh. I uh...sorry. I got a little carried away. My bad, Envy-sama."

"Just get ready,"

"Yeah, yeah, I know! I have to get dressed first, so could you leave now?"

"You're right, I don't want my eyes burning out of my head,"

"Get out, jerk!"

He slipped out the door quickly enough to miss being hit with a random knic-knac. It still made a satisfying shatter as it slammed into the door.  
_Gotta be an ass! _I thought. Still somewhat pissed, I forcefully brushed the knots out of my knarly hair and put it in its usual messy bun. Then I threw on my halter, skort, stockings and gloves. I looked out the window.

"Snow," I muttered. "Figures," I opened the closet door, looking for something to wear over my outfit. I settled on a black trenchcoat that came down a few inches below my knees. "This'll work," I said to myself.

* * *

The four of us waited at the train station; Lust, Gluttony, Envy, and me. Though I was excited at the prospect of going to Central City, the occasional sideways look from passerby _really_ got on my nerves.

"What are you lookin' at, punk?" I snapped at one stranger.

"Let them stare, Venge," Envy said.

"They're pissing me off, Sensei. I hate these damn humans!"

I tried to show restraint at least until we got on the train, but when the guy collecting our tickets called us a '_freak show,' _I couldn't help myself.

"You're here to collect our tickets! Not judge us ya jerk!"

"Drop the attitude, pettanko*,"

"YOU **BASTARD!**" I yelled as I lunged at him. Envy just laughed his ass off, while Lust tried to pull me off the guy before he got his face burned off.

"Vengeance! That's enough!" she scolded. She shot Envy a menacing glare (not that it did anything; he still had the stupid psycho-grin on his face), and pulled me onto the train before anymore humans got hurt. I sat down in my seat, still pouting.

"You should've let me finish him off," I muttered.

"You should learn to control yourself," she countered.

"Way to maul another poor sucker who calls you flat, eh Vengeance?"

"Can I get something to eat?"

"When we get to Central, you'll have plenty of humans to eat," Lust reassured Gluttony.

"When I get there, I'll get to fry up some people with my Ultimate Heat. I get revved up just thinking about it!" I said gleefully.

"Yeah? Well fry 'em up all you want, but keep your hands off the Fullmetal Pipsqueak, 'kay?"

"Um...who?"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist; some little runt who joined the military at age 12 so he could find the Philosopher's Stone,"

"And, I take it the two of you are good friends?"

He elbowed me violently in the ribs. "Hardly,"

I continued to mess with him. "Well, you don't want me hurting him and all...there must be some connection, Envy-sensei,"

Delivering a hard blow to my head, he growled, "That's because he's **_my_** little punching bag, brat! I like to torment the boy, that's all,"

I giggled. He continued to glare at me, while Lust just rolled her eyes. "I swear, the two of you are like siblings, the way you fight,"

"We are _NOT _siblings!" we snapped at once. She chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

* * *

Raven pushed Joshua out of the hospital in a wheelchair, the boy grumbling the whole way.

"I can push myself Rae!" he mumbled.

"Just accept my help and get over it," the girl answered. She didn't care if he had a problem being assisted; she did it out of the kindness of her heart, whether he liked it or not.

"You're getting a prosthetic leg pretty soon," she said, trying to change the subject. "It's not high-tech, but it's better than a wheelchair, don't you think?"

Josh grunted in agreement. For a while, neither spoke. But then Joshua broke the silence after he observed Raven's outfit; an orchid-colored winter coat with a deep violet scarf, and a reddish-purple skirt with lilac-colored leggings, plus black winter lace-up boots that nearly reached her knees. _She really likes purple, _he mused. _But...why isn't she cold in those leggings? Hm..._

Finally breaking the silence, he inquired, "Hey Raven, are those leggings...uh, why are you wearing those?"

Raven looked a bit perplexed by his question. She smiled and answered simply "It's for fanservice, Josh,"

* * *

**Hahahaha! Raven working for fanservice! Gosh, Envy and Vengeance really do fight like brother and sister!**

**Vengeance: Ew! We are _NOT_ related! **

**Envy: Shut the hell up, Pettanko!**

**Vengeance: Take it back, Palmtree!**

**Lust: *facepalm***

**Ed: Am I coming up soon?**

**Celtic-chan: Next chapter, okay Edo?**

**Al: Yay!**

**Joshua: Please review**

*a pettanto [pe-TANK-ko] is basically a flat-chested girl. Just so you know! XD


	8. Chapter 7: The Alleged Train

**NOOOOOOO! It's been a year since my last update! It's been so long, Raven changed out her outfit from the last chapter!  
Raven: I still kept the scarf though.  
It's been so long, Josh...oh crap! He's had to use a bathroom all this time!  
Josh: Must...contain...bowels...  
It's been so long -  
Envy: For God's sakes shut up!  
Okay, fine.  
****Well, I've been busy all this month, and TV Tropes has ruined my life.  
Everyone: You had a life?  
Oh stop! Anyway, after over a month of waiting, this chapter is finally out! This is proof that CelticKawaii isn't quite clear on the meaning of "filler." Anyway, Ed and Al are in this, (they come at the end), Raven starts being emo, and Vengeance does something crazy. **

* * *

It was a long, quiet trek to the station, and neither of us spoke. I simply concentrated on wheeling Josh along the sidewalk, without saying a word. At least he's not griping about being pushed anymore, I thought. Still, something was bothering me. It wasn't just the obvious, that I had lost my best friend, and almost lost another, but something else. Was it the chill air biting at my flushed cheeks? Was it the problem with expenses; I mean, how were we supposed to cover the cost of train tickets if we had no money? It was a miracle we weren't charged for hospital expenses. Perhaps I was still feeling guilty for that lame quip I made in the last scene - it wasn't even funny! But then again, humor was never my thing. Ju on the other hand always had a snarky one-liner for any situation, with all the dry comical wit and sarcasm of any New Englander. Josh was a class clown, plain and simple. He goofed off, pulled pranks, acted flat-out juvenile...and it was up to me to save them from destroying the town. But now...

I felt my eyes begin to water, thinking about what how she died. We hadn't noticed anything until we came to the other side of the Gate. But when she wasn't moving...and had no pulse...

"Hey Rae,"

Josh caught me in mid-thought. "Y-yes?" I stuttered, trying to hide the crack in my voice.

"You know that old building, the abandoned one where I tried to bring back Ju?"

"Mm-hm," I nodded.

"I think maybe we should go find it. So, you know, we can give her her a proper burial. I mean, it's what she'd want..."

"Josh," I whispered, hot tears finally streaming down my face, "That's so sweet of you," I tried to smile, but it was no use. I buried my face in my gloved hands. There was no denying it; I missed her. I knew I cried a lot, I was just an emotional person. Maybe I was making up for the others. Josh rarely cried at all, and Julia...well, her tear ducts would have shriveled up from lack of use for all it was worth. She never cried, at least not that I saw. So I cried for them both. I guess that's why I became near-sighted. Suddenly, my train of thought was broken when two arms wrapped around me. I looked up from my palms to see who it was.

"Joshua,"

"It's alright," he said, doing his best to console me. It was working, to be honest, and I really needed it, but then I remembered...

"Um, how are you sta-"

"Wha - WHOA!"

All at once, the air was knocked out of my lungs, my back slammed onto hard stone, and my skull suffered a violent collision with concrete. Josh had lost his balance and fallen down; fortunately, I was there to break his fall. Wincing, I said in a weak, winded voice, "Joshua, please get off me,"

"Sorry Rae," he muttered sheepishly, clumsily moving off. I peered around, and realized that the world was now a jumbled smear. "Maybe we shouldn't, we'll be late for the train anyway,"

"My glasses," I muttered. "Josh, can you help me find -" There was a loud, ominous crunch as Josh shifted position. That's when I snapped.

"Why did you have to do that?" I demanded, "You're missing a leg! You don't just get up and lean on someone when you've only got one leg, baka! What were you thinking? And now my glasses are in pieces, I'm on the pavement, and it's all because you had to -"

"Um, Raven?"

"WHAT?"

"Calm down, okay? It's just glasses,"

I breathed in, trying to regain composure. It was completely unlike me to snap like that; But all this had taken a toll on me. I wiped my eyes, apologising for the outburst.

"It's alright," he replied. "I'm upset too," he gathered up the shattered glasses in front of him, and in a flash of brilliant blue light, they were all back together. "Here you go," he said, handing my spectacles back. I put them on, noticing there was no transmutation circle on the ground.

"You forgot to make an array,"

"Oh...sorry. My bad,"

"No, it's not that," I said, "You fixed my glasses without a circle. I thougt it was impossible to do that."

"It is?"

"Ugh, let's just get to the train station," I was confused beyond possibility.

* * *

It was happening again. My heat powers were acting up, and my stomach was feeling a little weird. _Great,_ I thought, shifting in my seat. _My powers are screwing with me again_. I tried to think of a way to distract myself from it, searching for some question to pull out of nowhere. Finally I said,

"Anyone want to tell me why you need me here when there's already seven of you?"

"You're here because our Master needed back-up," Lust explained. "At least, that's what we were told,"

"More specifically," said Envy, "You're replacing Wrath if anything happens to him. You weren't supposed to know that, actually,"

"Oh, okay," That conversation didn't help. After a long silence of about a minute, I couldn't stand it anymore.

"So, who do you think is the most powerful out of us?"

The others gave me a sideways look as I glanced from Lust to Gluttony to Envy, as if to say _"Someone please just humor me for the love of Ishbala!"_

"What?" Lust answered. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds.

"Why do we care?" Envy deadpanned. I winced as the heat became more uncomfortable.

"Well, haven't you ever wondered? I mean, if not the most power, at least who has the _coolest_,"

Another pause.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" I snapped, the burn starting to kick in.

"Okay, I'll bite," Envy finally answered. "Can I at least bring up the fact that your power _sucks_?"

"Wha - it does _not_!"

"Look, you asked for it. What did you think was gonna happen?"

"It does not suck! Yours does!"

Lust facepalmed as the two of us went at it. At least I had something to think about now besides...starting to sweat. "Look, my power has a more offensive bonus than yours. You almost never use shapeshifting to beat me in a sparring match,"

"So even without my powers, I still kick your ass,"

"Exact- Wha...aw, damn!"

"Well that settles it; can you shut up now?"

"What's wrong with you people? Why can't you just..._have a normal conversation_...I mean...do you..have to be this..._anti-social_?" I said, clenching my fists behind me. _Oh crap. _This was going on longer than I planned. But it would settle down; eventually. At least, I hoped so.

* * *

The burning got worse as time went on. My hands were flushed, sweaty, fisted tight behind my back. I tried to look casual, pressing my cheek against the cold window, trying to maintain a blank poker face. _Remain calm, cool down, stay calm..._

I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to get to the bathroom, splash some cold water on my face. The burning had spread to my ribs and my back, and I felt like I was pushing 150. _No way, if it were that bad, you'd be dead by now!_ That's when I remembered that I couldn't die. Of course, that didn't help matters at all. _If I can't die, then what happens if I push too hard...?_

"I feel sick," I muttered.

That was all it took for Envy to not only move over, but literally push me out of the seat.

"Well get up and use the can, idiot. You're not throwing up over here," Oh, how compassionate!

I didn't care; I was already bolting down the isle, ramming past a vendor with a sharp _"Move!" _as I raced to the bathroom. It was only getting worse every step of the way, spreading to my arms, my legs, my fingers...  
I moved on to the second car of the train, breathing heavy. _This is not good,_ I said to myself. _No dip, Sherlock! You're frying from the inside out! __I have to get...argh! My brain!_ I doubled over on the floor, screaming, holding my head, hoping it would stop...and then...

_BOOOOMM!_

The next thing I remembered was my cells reorganizing into their original form, first my trunk, then my arms, legs, hands. My feet always came last.

"Vengeance, what the HELL?"

It was Envy. "Oh hi," I said, less than enthused to see him.

"Okay, how the hell did you screw it up this time?" he demanded. I glared at him.

"I blew up,"

"What? What made you think that was a good idea?"

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't do it intentionally. I kept heating up from the inside and then combusted,"

He looked incredulous as Lust came over amidst the rubble. She caught the tail end of the argument.

"So you blew up by accident,"

"Yes,"

"Nice work, dumbass! You have no control over your powers and blew up a train! Now how are we supposed to get to Central?"

"We'll have to walk," Lust said flatly. "At least it's not that far, but we're still be behind schedule,"

"Anyone know what happened to..." Envy trailed off when he saw Gluttony a ways off happily munching on the disemodied limbs. "Should've guessed,"

"You've had incontinency with your powers for how long?" Lust inquired.

"For almost a month," I answered.

"It happens every now and then, at least when a homunculus isn't used to their powers," she said.

"Wrath wasn't this bad," Envy complained, "He'd screw around with transmuting himself with stuff, but God! You've hit a new level,"

"Thanks, I always dreamed I'd be the epic fail of the century," I said sarcastically. "My trenchcoat's _gone_ too!"

So then we walked the rest of the way, none too enthusiastically.

* * *

"The train schedule was delayed due to an explosion on its way to Central,"

Rae and Josh sighed. "Just our luck," Josh said.

"Tell me about it," another kid agreed.

Raven looked over at him. "We've been getting the worst luck here for a while. It's like the universe hates us or something," she chuckled.

"I know how you feel," the other kid sympathized. "The name's Edward, and this is my brother Alphonse,"

"I'm Raven,"

"And I'm Josh,"

_"Meow," _came a noise from Al's armor. Ed shot him a suspicious look.

"Al,"

"Brother it was out in the freezing cold! I couldn't just leave him there! I mean look at him!" Alphonse took out a black and white kitten that couldn't have been more than six months old.

"Oh my gosh! It's adorable," Josh openly gushed.

"He's so cute!" Raven cooed, though she wasn't gushing as bad as Josh was.

"Rae, can we keep 'im?"

Raven looked over at Ed, the two exchanging confused looks. _Oh boy._

* * *

**Whoa! What just happened? Holy crap, I actually finished the chapter! XD  
Hope you enjoyed it. This turned out to be a long one. Please review, and I promise I'll update in the same year!**

**Venge: I hate you.  
Josh: Who's a widdle cutie? Who's a widdle cutie?  
Rae: Josh, we can't keep him.  
Ju: DAYM! That was a pretty frickin' long chapter.  
CK:Yeah, so? And you're dead.  
Coming up next: CelticKawaii makes the next chapter in a saner time span.**


	9. Chapter 8: of Cats and Homunculi

**Yesh! Another chapter out! Since no one reviewed the last chapter, CelticKawaii got a bit depressed. However, it was still a great chapter! Venge blew up a train: best fail evah! XD Anyway, Ed's got some funky wiring issues with his automail, so now he has to call Winry up...ho, boy! Warnings: Abuse, Gushing over kittens, some fluff, and melodramatic villainy. **

* * *

_"Way to screw it up for us, idiot,"  
__She glared back at him. _It's not like I meant to explode on the train_, she thought. _But_ you'll _never let me live it down!_  
__"Get over it!" Vengeance snapped. "What's done is done! We're walking to Central, it's not too far, so what? I had no control over it anyway, so it wasn't my fault!"  
__Envy stopped, turned on a dime, and nearly caused Vengeance to ram into him. "Not your fault?" he repeated, picking her up by her wrist and hoisting her into the air.  
__"Stop it! Put me down Envy! Please!" Vengeance pleaded, dangling helplessly.  
__"Envy, cut it out," Lust ordered, more concerned with him dragging behind than anything.  
__"What? I'm just having a little fun,"  
__Thoroughly annoyed, Lust resorted to slicing off Venge's hand to stop the whole fiasco, managing to stab Envy through and through in the process. The latter didn't seem too phased by it (still maintaining the usual smirk on his face), while the former lay on the ground clutching the bloody stump.  
_Damn, I hate slapstick,_ Vengeance moaned._

**_

* * *

_**

Ed looked down at his right arm, thinking about the phone conversation he'd be having with Winry. Granted, it wasn't broken too badly, but there were some exposed wires on his forearm, and his fine motor skills were practically nonexistant. And now that the train was delayed...  
He turned to his brother Alphonse. "Think you can dial the numbers on the payphone?"  
"I'll try," he said, looking down at his hands. Sadly however, his fingers were too huge to dial one number at a time.

"Mind if I help?" Raven offered politely. She began to dial the numbers as Ed winced in anticipation for the less than pleasent phone conversation.

She handed him the phone, glancing over at Josh. He still had the stray kitten that Alphonse found, curled up in his lap and sound asleep.

"Look Raven, he's so precious," Joshua whispered, petting the sleeping furball. Alphonse was looking over Josh's shoulder at him, both admiring the purring angel.

Ed held the phone to his ear as he counted one, two, three rings waiting for Winry to answer. When she finally picked up, he held his breath. "Hello, Winry?" Ed asked, bracing himself for the worst.

"Josh, I know he really means a lot to you, but we can't keep him," Raven sighed, petting the kitten.

"Well, what else are we gonna do?"

"Josh, we can't even afford _ourselves_ right now!"

"Yeah, Winry, my arm...it's not too badly damaged but...I can't write with it. Or hold anything with it. Or anything related to fine motor skills," Ed tensed up, holding the phone at arm's length.

"Really?" Winry was actually kind of shocked; normally, Ed would have his automail limbs torn apart from some crazy fight of some sort. Was this the same Edward Elric? Then again, he still wrecked it.

"Rae, you know what happens to kittens who get sent to the shelter?" Josh said, shuddering. Alphonse gasped. "If he doesn't get a home, they might have to put him down,"

* * *

_"You know what? I'm sick of you all!"  
"Oh, quit your whining and move it already, no one wants to hear it out of you Vengeance!"  
"Screw you! I'm leaving you,"  
Lust, Envy and Gluttony stared at her blankly. Finally, Envy said, "Okay, fine then. Leave."  
Vengeance was dumbfounded. "Seriously?"  
"Yeah, if you want to go, just go,"  
"But...but..." Venge was confused. "I thought you needed me,"  
"Not really," Envy said, seemingly bored with the conversation. "It's your first mission and you've already screwed it up by blowing up the train,"  
"You're not gonna let me live it down, are you?"  
Lust suspected that Envy was playing head games with the youngster. "Envy, are you seriously letting her walk away like this?"  
"Yeah, why not," he whispered back. "Besides, she'll get out of the way of our plans for a while,"  
"Alright then! Fine! I'm leaving," Vengeance announced.  
"Bye," Envy waved.  
"Seriously, I'm ditching you!"  
"Well for God's sakes, get the hell out of here already,"  
"I'm really going!" she hollored, walking on a train car that wasn't torn apart from the explosion. "Right now!"  
"Yup, now get your ass out of here,"  
"Now I'm flipping you off!"  
"Just go!"  
"With two fingers, bastard!"  
"That's bastard-sama to you, now beat it!"  
Envy turned back to Lust. "Wonder where she'd be going,"  
"Isn't it obvious?" Lust answered. "She's driven by a desire for revenge. Chances are she's off to find the alchemist who created her,"  
Envy laughed. "That guy's dead, I'm sure of it!"  
"We'll see," Lust said, looking at the dot hopping from train car to train car away from them._

* * *

Raven clapped her hands together over the piece of paper. In a flash of blue light, the sheet twitched and folded into different shapes before forming into a paper crane. She proudly showed Edward and Alphonse the finished product.

"I call it paper alchemy," she said, beaming.

Ed nodded. "That's pretty impressive. You transmuted the paper to fold into that shape,"

"The trick is to memorize each fold, then go over the steps in your head when transmuting," Raven explained. "This is one of the harder ones, but it actually comes out neater than hand-folding,"

"Can I show them my alchemy?" Josh asked eagerly.

Raven's face went pallid. "Uh...I'd rather you not. It's extremely...messy, and I don't -"

"Aw, come on Rae!" Josh moaned. "You gotta give me a chance,"

"Why?" asked Al. "What's so wrong with it?"

"Well, you see," Raven said, looking at her feet, "anything involving pavement, cement, stone, or any type of rock material...that's his alchemy,"

"And?" Ed pressed.

"It get's torn up," Raven stated cringingly.

"Torn up? That sounds impressive. I like it," said a new voice.

The party turned to see who it was.

* * *

**Duh-da-da-da! Another chappy finished in record time! Yes! Haha, Venge is such a ham! Sorry to cut this so short -  
Ed: Who the hell are you calling short you jerk?  
CK: Ed, don't take it so personally, I wasn't talking about you.  
Raven: Josh, do you still have that cat?  
Alphonse: Nope, he let the cat go, honest. *meow*  
Ed: Alphonse.**

**Coming up next: Vengeance faces off against the alchemists!**


	10. Chapter 9: Alchemy Beatdown

****

**Hey peeps! It's time for that wonderful point in the story when all the OC's get to beat the living crap out of eachother! Just wait till you see this! It's time to RUMBLE! Josh's POV. Free cookies to anyone who can spot the quote from another movie! **

****

**

* * *

**

We turned to see who it was. A girl about average height, her hair up in some kind of a bun with strands flying out everywhere, and a dragon tattoo on her right arm. She leaned up against a tree, watching me and Raven.

"Yes, I remember now," she mused, flashing a toothy grin. "You're Joshua, right?"

"Um, do I know you? You're kinda cute,"

She blushed. "Um...'kay. You _should_ know me. After all, you're the one who created me,"

"'Created' you?"

"Are you deaf? Yes, do you remember? You tried to ressurrect someone! It failed!"

Suddenly, the memories came back to me, of trying to transmute Ju, of that thing with its lungs hanging out, its chest an open smear, with foggy grey eyes...

"I can see it in your face, you know," she continued, coming closer. "You're the bastard I've been waiting for,"

She lunged at me, her skin glowing red as she reached out to grab me.

"Joshua!" Raven cried, pushing me out of the way.

We bearly missed her as we landed on the ground. Ed stepped into the scene.

"Hey shory, move it already! I've been waiting for this moment for a lifetime and I'm not letting a runt like you stand in my way,"

"Who the hell are you calling a diminutive little pipsqueak so tiny you need an electron microscope to see him you jerk!" Ed shouted as he delivered a hard blow to her head with his automail arm. She hit the ground with a hard thud.

"Ed," I gasped. "Did you just kill her?"

She stumbled back to her feet, giggling. "That hurt me you know," she said (it didn't sound like it though). "I didn't realize you were so sensitive about your height. Are you the _Fullmetal_ Pipsqueak?"

"DON'T. CALL. ME. PIPSQUEAK!" Ed screeched, missing her by inches this time.

"Yup, it's you," she said casually. "You're not the one I want though. The guy I came for is Stumpy over there," she pointed at me.

"'Stumpy?'"

"Wow, you are deaf! Gotta say though, you got a cute girlfriend,"

Both our faces went beet red. "GIRLFRIEND?"

"She's nice, the one with the glasses. You lucky son of a gun,"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I'm not his girlfriend,"

"Mm-hm. _Right,_" she said, rolling her eyes.

"And for your information, my name is Raven,"

"Ah, Raven. I see. Funny, with a name like that I figured you'd be a blond," she remarked sarcastically. "Now please, if you don't mind I have some unfinished business to take care of with deaf boy over here, so I'd appreciate it if you move out of my way,"

"No!" Raven protested, standing in front of me. "I won't let you hurt him,"

"I don't like people who get in my way," said the girl. "And I won't hesitate to eliminate you if I have to,"  
She backhanded Raven across the face, sending her tumbling on the ground.

"Ooh, lookie here," she picked up Raven's glasses.

"Wait, stop! Those are my glasses! Don't break them!"

The girl smiled sadistically. "Break them?" she snapped the spectacles in two. "Oops. Silly me,"

"No, stop it!"

She dropped them on the ground and started stomping on them. "Worthless pieces of crap. Can't even hold up against little old me,"

Raven stood up, pulling a stack of notecards out of her pocket. "Those glasses were prescription lenses,"

The strange girl looked at her uninterested. "Eh?"

"Prescription. Lenses!" she repeated through gritted teeth, transmuting the notecards into something (I couldn't see what from where I was standing).

"My mother works three jobs to pay for those glasses because of my myopic condition!" Raven snapped. "And you have the nerve to tamper with them? And pass it off as some joke? Call them worthless? You...you...BITCH!"

That was the first time I had ever heard Raven swear. She stabbed the girl square in the chest with a knife (which she transmuted from the notecards), sending the girl flying back and crashing to the ground.  
Raven collapsed onto her knees, feeling around for her lenses. When she finally found them, she transmuted them back together, putting them back on. She was panting, darting her eyes around to see what had happened.

"Raven?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I think you killed her,"

Just then, the girl pulled the knife out of her chest, staggered back onto her feet, and laughed hysterically as the gaping hole in her chest shrank and dissolved away. A little blood trickled out of her mouth, which she wiped with the back of her hand.

"Okay, _that _is the coolest thing I ever saw!" I said.

"Glad you enjoyed it, you insensitive asshole," she said. "Do you have any idea how much that stings?"

"That...that didn't...that didn't kill you?" Raven stuttered.

"No," she said. "I am a homunculus, and I don't die so easily. It's gonna take a lot more than that to defeat me,"

"A homunculus," Edward said, "So we have another one. And all this time I thought there were only seven deadly sins,"

The homunculus looked annoyed. "Yeah, do you have to rub it in? I'm an extra, but no less important,"

"What really sets me off is how much you remind me of Envy,"

"Shut up!" she snapped. "I'm nothing like that bastard!"

"Really? The way you fight, your posture, hell your whole demeanor reminds me of him,"

"What the hell are you trying to pull? Take back what you said right now!" she screeched, her face becoming bright red.

"How about you make me," Ed taunted, turning his metal arm into a blade.

"Okay," I said to Raven. "I take it back. **_That_** is the coolest damn thing ever!"

The two lunged at each other when suddenly-

BLAM!

"What the hell?" Ed said. The homunculus-girl's chest had...exploded. It was amazing.

"Dammit," she mumbled, her ribcage reassembling itself. "I came in too soon. I have to time it right if I want a good impact,"

"What the hell are you?"

"Just a kid with a plan, alchemy boy," she chuckled. Turning to me, she said, "Now it's your turn. This time I'll get the boom-time just right in your face!"

She jumped at me, lunging my way again. Only one thing left to do now.

"Rock alchemy!"

A huge mass of cobblestone sprang forward and slammed right into her gut. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"JOHSUA!" Raven shrieked.

"Huh? Yeah Rae?"

"The cobblestones...it's a mess!"

"Yeah, so?"

"Clean it up! Clean it up please! It's completely destroyed! You wrecked it!"

"Rae, I'm in the middle of a battle right now, it's not a very good time,"

"Yeah, relax, girlfriend," the homunculus chimed in. "He's doing some pretty nice stuff here. I like the chaos,"

"I am NOT his girlfriend and I do _not_ like chaos!" Raven countered.

"Hey rock boy, I think your girlfriend has OCD," said the homunculus.

"She's not my girlfriend," I said, agitated.

"Whatever. Anyways, you do pretty well for a guy with only one leg. Why don't you get a replacement like chibi-boy over here?"

"Chibi this!" growled Ed, punching her in the face with his right arm.

"Ow," she said flatly. "It hurts when you hit me like that,"

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Everyone: Awwww!  
Alphonse: Where's the kitty?  
Josh: Oh no!  
Vengeance: Review.**


	11. Chapter 10: Unforgiven, Unforgotten

**Wow, it's been a while, huh? Sorry. Anyway, this is continuing on with the fight scene, then a little bit of aftermath. Josh's POV, then epilogue in Venge's POV.**

**And by the way: One of the reviewers was a bit confused about the last chapter, so just in case anyone else is too, here's a few things to clear up;  
Venge recognized Josh the moment she saw him because she remembers him from her past. Granted, her memory is vague, and she doesn't remember her 'friends' too well, but she remembers Josh's face and that's about it.  
Ed had a good reason for comparing Venge to Envy: they're both stringy and flat-chested, and they fight like breakdancers, and they both act crazy. Plus...the outfit. Not exact, but the outfits look pretty similar.  
Yesh, we have now seen Vengeance at her worst. Crazy, splodey, violent...and out for blood! Hey, what did you expect? She _is _the bad guy!**

* * *

"Ow," she said flatly. "It hurts when you hit me like that," She grabbed the sleeve of his coat, which started to smoke...until it caught on fire!

"What the hell?" Ed cried, jerking away from her and plunging his arm into the snow.

"Pretty sweet, huh Fullmetal?" she said proudly, displaying a glowing, steaming red hand. "I call it my Ultimate Heat,"

She turned back to look at me. "Of course, I wanted to try it on you, but shorty here wants to-"

Ed slammed her skull with the heel of his left foot. "DON'T CALL ME SHORT, DAMN YOU!"

"Okay, okay, I get it," she said weakly, spitting out some blood. "You don't like being called short,"

"When the hell were you gonna get the hint?"

"Sheesh, can't even take a joke," she said, brushing herself off. "Are we fighting or what? Let's just quit the chit-chat and bash each other's brains in already,"

She bearly managed to finish her sentence when a massive column of rock shot out of the ground, tossing her like a ragdoll.

"Wow Ed, that was awesome!" I said. "Not bad for a little -"

Before I could finish, I was sent flying as a mass of cobblestone hit me in the gut.

"Dammit, don't call me little!"

"Ed!" Raven cried. "You could've killed him!"

"It's cool. I'm okay," I reassured her*.

"Hey Joshie, why don't you join in the fun," the homunculus called out, before spitting out some gravel.

"Okay," I said, eager to show off. "Here comes a fist!"

She bearly dodged the attack, jumping into the air to land on one hand, then pushing off to land back on her feet again. Then she looked around at each of us as if we were supposed to applaud her or something.

"What? Aren't you impressed?" she asked. "I learned that move a week ago and it's the first time I've managed it without screwing up,"

Ed, Al and I looked at each other, not sure what to say. She actually looked a little annoyed, to tell you the truth, but I had to admit, it was pretty cool.

"Okay then," she sighed. "Tough crowd, huh? Fine," she started doing some fancy cartwheel thing, first landing on her hands, then her feet, then her hands again, like something out of Tomb Raider, only with breakdancing. She was doing just fine until she slipped and fell on her face.

I sent up massive hunks of rock after her, but she was dodging them pretty well. That is, until she fell over (again) and got a face full of earth.

"Wasn't that cool?" I asked, shooting up a mass of rocks from underneath me to move closer (since I couldn't walk).

"I slipped," she growled, spitting out some rocks.

"Still, that was pretty sweet!"

Ed facepalmed. "You idiot! You're not supposed to be cheering for her! She's trying to _**kill**_ you!"

"No, not kill him," she said smugly. "Just torture him as payment for making me a homunculus,"

"For _making_ you a homunculus?"

"Wow, you and the chick over there," she said, shaking her head. "She's blind, you're deaf, no wonder you two are a couple,"

**"We are _not_ a couple!" **I insisted as I shot an arsenal of cobblestones hurling at her. Before I knew it, there was a pile of rocks completely covering her. Until she busted out with a fiery explosion.

"Does anyone take into consideration the fact that I can still feel pain?" she demanded as she reassembled herself. "This s*** hurts you know!"

"Seriously, that is so cool to watch!" I said. She glared at me menacingly.

"So is _that_ why you created me? Because watching me regenerate and get torn up gives you some kind of sick thrill?"

"What?" I was confused. Why did she keep asking me these questions?

"Give me an answer Rock Boy!" she demanded.

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about," I said.

She sighed. "Okay then," she scratched her head, dismayed. Then she looked back up at me, her mood instantly changed to rage. "Then I guess I'll just have to beat the answer out of you!" She lunged toward me with a quick jump, repeating the hand-foot-hand landing style from last time...except she missed her hand and got her face instead. "Damn," I heard her mumble.

"I don't get why you keep falling over," I said.

"Shut up!" she snapped. "My balance isn't all that great! So what?"

"You don't look like the kind of person who'd keep falling over like you do," I said, observing her skinny frame. "In fact, you're not top heavy at all,"

It was supposed to be a compliment (sorta), but she took it the wrong way. "You...have just taken your first steps into Hell!" she screeched. The next thing I knew, she was on top of me, slamming me with punches. Punches on fire, that is.

"Why the hell is it even important to you, huh?" she hissed as she got up. "Is that all that matters in your mind?" She kicked me in the ribs. "Speak up, baka!"

"I...I...I'm sorry!" I managed to say. "I...didn't know...realize...it made you...made you..."

"You're the one who created me! It's you're fault I don't have much!" after a series of kicks to my ribcage, she squatted down beside me and whispered in my ear, "Do you remember?"

"Remember what?"

"October 31st. It was cold, raining...I could barely see a thing, and all I smelled was blood. I heard you moaning and crying for help, dragging yourself away from me,"

It was all coming back to me now. That thing, that creature with the gooey white eyes and mismatched limbs...legs where legs were never supposed to be...was this girl that same..._thing_...I created?

"Well, do you remember?" she sneered.

"It was..._you?"_

"We have a winner!" she mockingly applauded. "So tell me, Josh, why did you do it?"

I couldn't believe it. Now that I could get a better look, I could see it better; her hair was much darker, and her eyes were yellow-green instead of hazel, but she had the same face, the same build...the same _not-boobs_...it was really her. _No, it can't be. _She_ wouldn't be like this! _She_ wouldn't act like some freakin' psycho and want to hurt _me!_ And she'd never treat _Raven_ - her best friend since kindergarten - the way _this girl _did just now! She's lying...it's gotta be a trick._

"You can't be her," I finally said out loud. "There's no way you can be Julia!"

"Believe it, I am her!" she snapped. "And I'm pretty damn pissed off at the way you ressurrect me as some mangled mashup from hell and then leave me to die in some dump of a building," She grabbed both my wrists and began burning them. "Ever since you left, I've been the personal punching bag of my asshole sensei, treated like crap by my so-called equals, and going insane from the red stones that I owe my life to!"

"ARGH! STOP!" I screamed. "Please!"

"That's enough!" Alphonse stepped in, picking up the homunculus by the wrist. Instantly she started screaming, not angry this time, but...scared.

"Please! Stop! Put me down! Please!" she shreiked.

That's when I realized she was telling the truth. "Oh my God," I gasped. I looked over at Raven, who couldn't believe what she was seeing. When Alphonse finally put her down, she breathed heavily, shaking, almost in tears.

"Julia," I said, almost in a whisper. She only looked up at me with eyes full of hate. Full of vengeance.

"It's all your fault," she hissed in a low voice, before passing out on the ground.

* * *

"So where did you take her?" I asked Ed.

"She's been taken into the Furher's custody," he answered. "I don't know how true what she said was, when she told you she was your friend,"

"She wasn't lying," said Raven. "Ju would always have that reaction to being picked up by the wrist. It was from an incident when she was little..." she started to tear up.

"So this friend of yours died, and then you tried to bring her back?" asked Ed.

"Uh huh," I said, looking at my fee...foot. "It didn't work. I just lost my leg and got some freaky monster thing," That's when, surprisingly, I started to cry. "I crossed the Gate with her...and then she wasn't breathing...when we reached the other side," It was so weird to me...I usually didn't tear up over things like this. It's not that I never cried, I just...never did it all that much.

"Josh," said Raven. "It's okay,"

"No Rae, I turned my best friend into a monster! How is that okay?" I snapped. I was frustrated - my wrists were bandaged up in wraps from when she burned them - when Julia burned them - and she was probably coming back for more. I screwed up, and I was upset. Raven almost died, and so did I. Then again, she said she didn't want to kill me; only make me wish I was dead. I just wondered when she'd be coming back for the next attack.

"Josh," said Raven, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay to cry,"

For some reason, her saying that made a stream of tears burst out. "I...I..I know, Rae," I stuttered.

* * *

**_Epilogue:_**

_I woke up in an office, my hands and feet bound with some kind of metal cord. _Where was I and how did I get here?_ I thought. I tried to recall...the boy, that thick-skulled bastard who created me...the fight we had...the girl stabbing me in the chest..._with notecards! _It all sunk in. _Okay, I thought, I remember that, but how did I end up _here?_

_"So you're the homunculus Vengeance? The one with thermokinetic abilities, am I right?"_

_"Huh?" I looked up. "Who are you?"_

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

*Note: Technically, he would've been killed in the real world. So please, don't try this at home, kiddies.

**Oh boy...so things have stopped being funny (mostly) at this point. I wanted to mention the cat, but I couldn't find a place to stick it in this chapter. Anyway, please review, and I promise I'll come back with cookies!  
Josh: But where's the kitty?  
Raven: What do you mean by "couldn't find a place to stick it in this chapter"?  
Josh: It's not 'it'; it's a 'he'!  
**


	12. Chapter 11: Aftermath

**I'm back everyone! Did you think I'd abandon this story? Don't worry, I didn't. **

**Anyway, I left off on something of a cliffhanger (kind of), and tortured you for God knows how long...this time around, I'll focus more on Josh and Rae, along with the Elric brothers, briefly switch to how go things with Central's favorite bitch (and Vengeance), then kind of go off to some other stuff. It'll start in Raven's POV, then Raven's POV, then Venge's POV. Now...On with da plot!**

* * *

_We were still getting over the shock of it all when Ed handed me a piece of paper. "What's this?" I asked._

_"This is a check, and this is my watch for identification. You'll need a place to stay, right?" _

_"Wha...Edward, are you...?"_

_"I'm giving you enough money to rent an apartment, at least until you can get a better place, or if you can get back home,"_

_"You don't have to do this..."_

_"Don't mention it. You don't have to pay me back or anything," he said. I could feel the back of my eyes getting hot with tears._

_"And here's the kitten," Alphonse handed Joshua the cat he had found earlier that night. "I hid him in my armor when the homunculus showed up. You can keep him,"_

_"Th...th...tha...THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Josh let out a stream of tears as he took the sleeping kitten in his arms. His face lit up, and he wasn't so depressed now. I was glad to see him cheered up, but I wasn't sure where to look for an apartment. Fortunately, Ed picked one out for us, (it was really a motel, since we had no furniture), and told us he felt bad for what happened. I told him it was fine, and that we'd pay him back for everything he and Al had done for us. Ed insisted one last time that I didn't need to repay him, and told me to "forget it already and just frickin' accept it." Thus was the start of what I hoped would be a better life.  
_

* * *

So much was happening to us so fast. We had come through the Gate, we had lost our friend, and I _almost_ lost my other friend. We didn't know what to do, where to go, or how to get by in a place like this. And after all this time, it turned out (as fate would have it) that some stranger, some being with frightening powers, was the end result of Josh's desperate attempt at saving Ju. This girl, the girl with the dragon tattoo, who could blast her body apart and use it as shrapnel, who left her mark on Josh's raw, red arms, was our friend. I don't know _how_ Josh managed to go from crying in my arms one day, to just as perky and informal as he always was.

"Raven?"

"Huh? Oh, uh...Josh, what is it?"

I'd been daydreaming again. My mind went elsewhere lately, caught up in what happened last night. _How was it real, everything that went on?_ _It felt like a really bad dream, and it just didn't sound like anything real; we were attacked by a girl who said she was Julia and tried to attack myself and Josh..._

"Nothing, you've been staring off into space. It's just weird, ya know?"

"Oh...I'm sorry. I've just been thinking about the other night. It...was a lot to take in,"

"Eh, I've had worse," he shrugged.

_"When?"_

"Uh..." he scratched the back of his head. "...well, I mean like...it could always be worse, right? No biggie,"

"Josh, you don't have to lie. You can tell me if something's bothering you,"

"Rae, I'm fine. Really," he said. "You want breakfast?"

I sighed. "Sure, why not,"

"Cool. Now how do you make waffles?"

I couldn't help but giggle in spite of myself. That's right, after all this time, I'd gotten a job as a waitress at a diner, we were experts in alchemy, and still, neither of us could cook! How we managed thus far, I have yet to know. "Just have some cereal. I'd rather you not burn down the apartment,"

"One of us really needs to learn to cook, Rae," Josh said. "I'm getting sick of cold food,"

"Yeah, well that can wait. For now, we have to think about getting back home. Maybe then we can focus on our culinary skills," I said.

"'Culluh-what?"

"Cooking,"

"Oh," he breathed. "Yeah, but it'd really be nice if we knew how," he opened up the cabinet where we kept the bowls and barely missed dropping three of them on the floor. I rushed over to help him out before he actually broke something.

"Try not to think about food for now, okay?" I said, grabbing one of the bowls. "Perhaps it'll save us some dishes in the process,"

"Heh, sorry," he said, blushing.

The two of us sat down at the table and poured ourselves cereal. _So much has happened to us over the past few months,_ I thought. _Not too long ago, we were back home, in Ju's backyard, ready to test an alchemic experiment. _Then, after loosing Ju, I had to rescue Josh from suffering blood loss when his leg was taken. Then we spent a month in the hospital; then, last night. Now, here we were, getting over an attack. It hardly seemed real to me - it sounded more like something out of fiction. _But then, isn't true life stranger than fiction?_

"Hey Rae," Josh said from across the table. "What do you think we do now? I mean, now that we're here. It's just...actually, how come you woke up early this morning?"

"I'm applying for a job as a waitress at the diner just down the street," I explained.

"Do they take kids your age?"

"I'm hoping. If worst comes to worst, I might have to pass for an older teen,"

"Yeah, I'll bet you could do that if you needed to,"

I looked up from my bowl a bit perplexed.

"You know, cuz, you look so...stunning - no, wait! That's not what I meant! I mean you look really, er...grown up and stuff. Well, not like, too grown up...no, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, I know what you mean," I chuckled. "How are your wrists?"

"Oh, fine," he said, observing the two gauze-wrapped forearms. "They're just fine. Kind of itchy, but they don't hurt as bad as last night,"

"That's good to hear," I nodded. Then I finally had to say something about what happened. "Josh. About last night, are you still thinking about it too?"

"Of course I'm thinking about it!" he perked up. "Rae, you were totally badass the other night! I mean seriously! You so nailed that chick when she broke your glasses and I was like DAYUM! I never knew you had it in you,"

I was speechless.

"No, really, not kidding here," he continued. "You totally shanked her with a paper knife...made of paper! I mean...yeah. Boy you sure showed that girl"

For a minute, I just stared at him, dumbfounded. Finally, I just came to doing the first thing that seemed natural - I had to laugh.

"You were pretty impressive yourself, actually,"

"Yeah," he boomed. "We could kick major ass together! We'd be a team! We're...uh...what should we call ourselves, Rae?"

I shrugged. "I dunno,"

"Well, you're like the paper, and I'm like rock. We used to have scissors when Ju was around..."

"What?"

"Okay, she was more like knives, but still, it counts, right?"

"She worked with transmuting metal," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but, she really liked knives. She said she had a fetish for them," Josh recalled. After a pause, he looked at me and asked. "Raven, what's a fetish?"

"I'm not quite sure myself," I said. "I don't really think Ju understood the meaning of it very well either, but I would believe it's when someone has a personal fixation with a particular...for lack of a better word, 'thing,'"

"Oh, okay,"

"Well, I have to go apply for that job. Wish me luck," I got up from the table and put my bowl in the sink.

"I will, and I'll look for a job too," Josh waved back at me.

"Josh, are you really going like that?" I asked, looking at his wrinkled red T-shirt and baggy, mud-scuffed jeans. Not to mention his shoelaces were untied.

"Rae, who are you my mom?"

"Joshua, they won't hire you if you're dressed like that," I pressed. "You should really put something else on,"

He pouted. "Fine,"

"I'm only telling you the truth," I said. "You have to look professional to an employer, or else they won't hire you for work,"

"You still act like a mom!"

* * *

I woke up feeling like I'd just got over a really bad hangover. I forgot where I was last night, what I had done, and felt tight cords cutting into my skin. Damn, I thought. This is gonna suck! And when I finally got a full recall of last night's events, the first being my long-awaited encounter with the daft asshole who created me, the last being dragged to HQ and someone hitting me lightly on a pressure point on the back of my neck.

I thought about burning the cords off, but I got a better look at the ones around my ankles - they were steel cables. "Of course," I sighed. Bastards think everything out. I looked around me, checking out the exquisite office I was trapped in. They said something about taking me into the Fuhrer's custody, so I assumed that was where I was. Great, now they basically gave me detention. How grand. What was he gonna do, lecture me? Just then, I heard footsteps from outside the door behind me. Someone opened, walked in, and shut the door to the room.

"So, this is the homunculus Vengeance, the one who caused the train explosion?"

"For the love of God, will you people get over it! It was one time and that was an accident!" I shrieked. I heard the man chuckling behind me.

"You've caused quite a bit of trouble in Central City. You attacked a State Alchemist, and not to mention two civilians,"

"So what, you're here to lecture me or something?" I said, still not seeing him face to face.

"You really ought to learn not to be so disrespectful," I could hear him unsheathing a sword from behind me. _No, don't panic, he can't hurt you. You can heal, remember? Yeah, but it still hurts like hell getting sliced!_

"You think I'm scared of you?" I said out loud, my eyes squeezed shut. "You're damn right I am!" I facepalmed at my own words. Well, if I could, I would've. He found it pretty funny, actually.

"You should be afraid," I heard his sword swish against my cords. I thought it was stupid until I felt them fall off. What?

I turned to see. He was a tall man with an eyepatch and a mustache. He looked like he was in his sixties, and he was giving me a strangely pleasant smile. I was completely confused now. "Um, now what?"

"Pride, will you quit screwing with her already!" came a familiar voice. "Just tell her you're a homunculus too!"

"Do you have to be so rude about it Envy?"

"Bastard-sama!" I said, rolling my eyes. "Long time no see. I wish it was longer,"

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly thrilled to see you either," he replied, smirking.

"So...wait a sec. Pride is...the Fuhrer?"

"You are a genius. How did you know?"

"Are they always like this?" Pride asked Lust as she came into view. She shrugged. "This is them on a good day,"

"So, tell me Bastard-sama," I said, standing up. "Did you miss me?"

"What? No, of course I didn't miss you! We actually got more done, at least right up until this brat showed up," He motioned to the far end of the room (the shadows were strangely dark; I wondered if it was just for drama or something) where a little boy came running over to me. "Sis!"

"Wrath?" I was so happy to see him...and then he lost focus and instead ran up and glomped the lady next to the Fuhrer, wearing a lavender suit and skirt.

"Mommy!"

I was confused again. Envy cracked up behind me. "And this is Sloth. She's been posing as the Fuhrer's secretary," I watched Wrath hug his mother tightly, as she hugged him back. It was...so sweet!

"Sucks being rejected, doesn't it?"

"Huh?" I looked at Envy, who was smirking wickedly back.

"No, actually I think it's really cute,"

"Pansy,"

"I'm not a jealous bitch like you," I whispered.

"No? And then why do you make such a big deal about me and Lust, Short-stack?" he whispered back.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" I tried to land a blow to his face, but he quickly dodged it and grabbed my arm, flipping me over on the floor.

"Will the two of you knock it off already!" Sloth ordered, sending two long, watery arms at us and pulling us apart.

"Just let me kill him. I won't make a mess, not much," I said.

"She's completely ridiculous!" Envy shot back, rolling his eyes. "It's not my fault she's so insecure about being flat-chested,"

"Envy, I will murder you when I get the chance!"

"Are they really this bad?" Sloth asked Lust. She shrugged. "I've seen worse,"

"By the way, did anyone remember what I said earlier? I told you I was leaving, as in, ditching the group?" I said, looking at Envy and Lust.

Just then, Gluttony popped out from the far side of the room. "If she's not with us, can I eat her?"

"You bastard!" I shrieked. Envy fell on the floor laughing (and so did Wrath, really) as Gluttony's eyes lit up at the thought. Damn cannibal.

"Yeah, I'd just give you heartburn and I'm not all that filling anyway, so is it really worth it?" Note to self: this is a very bad way to reason with Gluttony.

"Well does that mean you're staying?" Lust asked.

"You're seriously not gonna let Gluttony eat me,"

"If you're not with us, then what do we have to lose?"

"Fine," I said, pouting. After muttering a few nasty things under my breath (that had something to do with burning in hell and stuff), I sighed and said, "You got me, I'll stay. This sick, screwed-up dysfunctional family is mine, and I'll stay,"

"Yay!" Wrath ran up and tried to hug me, and for once, I decided I'd forgive him for laughing at Gluttony wanting to eat me. "You're stickin' around!"

"Yup," I said, looking from Pride to Lust to Sloth to Envy. "I'm an idiot,"

* * *

**And that folks, is your twelfth chappy! LOL, Gluttony wanted to eat Venge! XD Yeah, I tried really hard to work out just what would happen with this scene, so I had to fix a lot of crap before I finished...not to mention I'm still working on the next Fullmetal Eds chapter, and just got Alchemy of the Soul's 3rd chapter out. Yikes! Then there's the scene with Rae and Josh...I had a lot of fun doing that one. Those two are so cute together! Well then, coming up: Envy, Lust, Gluttony and Venge go on a killing spree!**


	13. Chapter 12: We're All To Blame

**Hey everyone! I'll be updating less for now, since right now I need to get caught up on...you know, school. I'll be sure to not totally abandon the stories though. Anyways, I realized something after I came out with the latest FUOT chapter...well, you'll see. Enjoy!**

* * *

Joshua and Raven met up at the corner as they had planned, after a long day of job-hunting and inner thinking. Josh pushed himself over in his wheelchair – which he'd become pretty good at – and had this to say to his friend.

"Hey Rae," Josh said, looking over at her. "I just realized something,"

"What is it?"

"I had a leg for a whole chapter!" he exclaimed. At that moment, the author slammed her head on the keyboard.

"Really?" Raven was surprised. She hadn't noticed it the whole time, but after thinking it over for a while, it started to make sense to her.

"I suppose the author wrote it up on a whim and forgot that you lost your leg,"

"Maybe she'll forget again, like, maybe for the rest of the story,"

"I hope not," Raven paused, and then saw the horrified look on her friend's face. "I mean, it's better for the sake of continuity for her to keep track of these things. It makes for a better work if there's consistency,"

"Huh," Josh shrugged. After a moment of awkward silence expected of a ridiculous fourth-wall breaking, Josh decided to ask Raven if she got the job she applied for.

"So uh, did they hire you over at that diner?"

Rae smiled. "They did," she nodded.

"Did you lie about your age?" Josh asked, smirking.

She gave him a sideways look.

"Um…I mean, not that I was hoping for it or anything…cuz like, you know, why would anyone hope for that…but, like, did they take you, or uh, did they let you…"

"As far as they know, I'm sixteen,"

"Oh, okay," he nodded.

"And how did you do?"

"Uh, yeah about that…" Josh scratched the back of his head. "I uh, I didn't get the job,"

"That's alright, I think I remember there being another opening at the diner…" she trailed off for a second, then her face went pale. "Oh wait, that's for actually cooking the orders,"

"Think I can pull it off?"

"No," she sighed, a little guilty that she'd sounded a bit too brutally honest. It was a real shame that the two of them depended on each other in order to survive on their own, but neither of them knew how to cook. Josh occasionally attempted it, but let's just say it didn't end well – for her or Ju!

"Well, uh, let's change the subject," Josh said. "How do you think we'll be able to get Ju back to normal?"

"What?"

"I think there's a chance! Hey, just bear with me, okay," Josh scratched his head again – a bit of a nervous tick for him – before continuing. "Look, I know she only said it and Ed told us that you can't really trust her cause she's a humoculus, but I mean, really Rae, did you see her? She looked almost like Ju's twin for Pete's sakes!"

"Then how would you explain her forgetting who we are and trying to attack you?"

"Well, maybe she doesn't remember everything," Josh shrugged. "I guess dying does that to ya,"

"So if what you're saying is true, then Ju is still alive, at least to a point, and there's a way to make her a human again," Raven thought it over for a minute, and finally decided to think it over back home.

When they finally made it back to the motel, Josh got out the biggest books on alchemy that they had.

"If I knew more about homunculi, I might be able to work out how we can turn one into a human," she reasoned, flipping through the book for anything on the word "homunculus". This, along with a few notebooks

"I know what to do! I have a plan!" Rae sprang up and grabbed the handles of Josh's wheelchair, pushing her friend down the sidewalk like a maniac driver (she nearly ran over a squirrel). When they finally got back to their apartment, she ran to get a book on alchemy and several sheets of paper, and then started flipping through the pages and jotting things down. Josh pushed his way over to see.

"Wow," he whistled, looking at her notes. "You have really neat handwriting,"

"Okay, so I figure that going by what Ju said, we can actually use her to make her human again," Raven said.

"But…how?"

"I remember reading about homunculi somewhere in this book," Raven said, adjusting her glasses. "Maybe from there we can figure out a way,"

"Yeah,"

"Hopefully, it'll work, but I'm not sure,"

"What happens if it doesn't?"

Raven stopped short at that. Frowning, she said, "I...I don't...we'll think of something else, alright? Hopefully, it won't fail,"

"Not that I think you'll fail, just...you know, if it doesn't work out, kinda like it did with me,"

"I know what you mean,"

At that moment, the black and white kitten they had adopted jumped up onto the table, walking all over the papers and books and finally plopping down on the one Raven was trying to read. She giggled.

"Did we name him?" she asked Josh.

"I did," he said. "I named him Toby,"

"Why Toby?"

"Because he's a good boy!"

Raven couldn't help but laugh. She had to admit, Josh was a great friend to have, for all his quirks.

* * *

Meanwhile at the homunculi's base, Vengeance was getting the grand tour, Bastard-sama style; which, to be specific, meant Envy was dragging her by the ankle around the place.

"And this is where you'll be staying," he said.

"Let me go, damn you," Venge grumbled. "Do you really have to drag me like a frickin' rag doll?"

"Sure, it's pretty damn funny actually," he chuckled.

"Jerk,"

"Jerk-sempai to you!"

"You're Bastard-sama, now get it the hell right!"

Sloth looked over at Lust, who was finding the whole thing pretty funny. "They must really entertain you, I assume,"

"Yeah, they do," she said as the two of them started getting into a shouting match. The two of them walked off, as Wrath skipped over to Sloth and latched on to her hand.

"I was just wondering," Sloth said. "about the newcomer. Why do we have her?"

"Her?" Lust glanced over at Vengeance, who was currently…gnawing on Envy's arm while he stomped on her (he was still holding her by the ankle). "I'm not sure, but Master tells us that she's meant to be a 'back-up' for one of us; most likely Wrath...or Envy,"

Sloth stopped in her tracks at hearing that. Wrath looked up at Lust a little worried, too.

"You don't mean she's a _replacement_, do you?"

"I don't know, it's just what she told me," Lust shrugged. "But either way, I wouldn't completely trust _her_,"

"We_ all_ know that," said Sloth, while Wrath looked from Vengeance to his mother to Lust and back, still kind of scared about the thought of someone "replacing" him. Why would Master Dante do that? Maybe Envy was right about what he said, that if he pissed him off enough, he'd take it up with her.

"Mommy, you won't let Master do that, will you?"

"Of course not, sweetie," she said. Turning back to Lust, she said "I think Master's losing her mind,"

"She had it, you say?"

"True, true," the two of them didn't say anything and just watched the other sins fight.

"Should we stop them?" Sloth asked.

"Why bother?" Lust shrugged. "They're not harming anything, so they should just work it out themselves,"

* * *

"Here it is," said Raven after finally finding the page that mentioned homunculi.

"Great," said Josh. "What's it say?"

"It..." Raven read the paragraph before going completely pale and, with a seriously depressed look, said "...says it's impossible to create one,"

"HUH?" Josh nearly facefaulted. "Wha...what do you mean, it's impossible? But, she...she is one of those things! How is...wha...but...how!"

"I don't know," Raven sighed. "One step forward and two steps back! I can't believe we came so close to figuring it all out!"

"Yeah," Josh muttered. "And it's my fault,"

"No, it's not,"

"Rae, I'm the one who tried to bring her back, so I made her that way,"

"Josh, you know what? She got the idea to do it, to cross through the Gate,"

"So what are you saying Rae? That it's her fault?"

"No," Raven said. "It's not her fault. Not entirely, anyway. We're all to blame for the mess we're in. I could have said no, and so could you. She wasn't in control of our actions," she leaned her head on the table, both her arms burying her face. "We didn't have to go along with her idea, so it was our fault. Ju could have - or should I say, she should have - known about what happens to people who cross the Gate. You could have known...no, even before you tried that, from the start, we were all to blame for this,"

For a while, they didn't say anything. Then Toby came over and rubbed up against Raven's arm, purring.

"So then, now what?" Josh whispered, almost afraid to ask.

"We got ourselves into this," Raven answered, petting Toby and lifting her head. "So now, we need to get ourselves out,"

* * *

**Ta-da! I got the next chapter out! Yay! Did anyone get the joke about Toby? (I only heard about that joke, really). LOL, Venge was nomming Envy! XD Well, I hope this was good. Please, review!**


	14. Chapter 13: The Diner of Awkward

**I'M BAAAAACK! And I want to say I'm sorry to everyone who's been so patient waiting for the next chapter (like you had a choice...just kidding). I was banned from the Internet for a week, and so I couldn't get on for a while. I'll try to update Alchemy of the Soul and Fullmetal Eds too, because I have a really great idea for what happens to the bad guys there. Anyways, enjoy! **

(PS: Raven's POV)

* * *

It wasn't too bad a day; service at the diner was busier than usual, so I found myself waiting on three or four tables at a time. Problem was, trying to jot down notes on alchemy in between orders wasn't easy, and it was difficult not to mess up in one area if you got too involved in the other.

"Hey Raven, what's that?" asked Lauren, one of the people I worked with.

"Oh, this?" I said, pointing down at the scribbled-on paper, covered in shaky handwriting and odd-looking symbols. "These are just notes on alchemy. My friend Josh and I are working on something...it's...involved,"

"It sure looks it," she said. "I mean, I tried it once, but there's just so many things I didn't get. I just gave up trying with it, ya know?"

"I've only got the basics, and I know how you feel," I replied as I took a plate with two orders on it over to their respective tables. I reached the first table without much trouble, giving a 'this was your order, right?' just in case I got the two mixed up.

"No, you got it right,"

"Okay, thanks," I quickly made my way to the second table, trying to figure different formulas in my head at the same time. _So that girl from the other day said she was...a homunculus? Didn't Ed and Al say those were impossible to make? But if her regeneration comes from a source, like a Philosopher's Stone, then perhaps we can use-_

"WHOA!"

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back, covered in omelet and juice, and I felt a sharp pain in my left hand.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked a girl, who was supposed to be my second order.

"No...yes...no, it - it was my fault," I muttered. "I was...I was distracted,"

"How distracted were you? I mean...whoa, is that glass in your hand?"

"Huh...WHAT?"

"Yikes, that looks rough. Man, you fail, you fail _all the way_...sorry, I sound like a jerk," she laughed. The girl came over to me and helped me to my feet - and that's when I realized my glasses had fallen off I could see that she was wearing a long black trench-coat, and that her hair was tied up, but not much else from where she stood. But then she crouched down and came in closer. When I could somewhat make out her face (she was close enough for me to see), and that's when I realized who she was...

"No..." I whispered. "...you're...you're..."

She saw my expression, and immediately gave me the same look. We recognized one another, though I'd only seen her once.

"You're that chick who shanked me with a paper knife!" she exclaimed. That's when she realized that, by now, most occupants of the diner had turned their attention to us.

"Oops...did I just say that out loud?"

"Yes, you did,"

Her face flushed bright red, and then she instantly leaped to the side to tackle someone's legs.

"Heh, heh...yeah, I don't think so pal!" she snapped, holding something in her hands. Then she hobbled on her knees over to me.

"Here's your glasses," she said, smiling nervously. The man she'd just knocked over was audibly moaning from the fall - I just prayed he didn't land in glass.

"Thanks," I said, giving her a confused look.

"Hey, I just saved that dude's life, and mine. You're frickin' scary when you get those broken."

"Please try not to shout. People are staring,"

"I'm not shouting, I'm just hammy,"

I sighed. "I know you - you're the girl who tried to kill Joshua that night,"

"I don't want to kill him," she pouted. "Didn't you hear me? I said I wanted to torture him every chance I get. Killing would be too kind,"

I flinched, but regained a serious tone. "What are you doing here, anyway? What are you up to this time?"

She scowled. "Really? You think we homunculi are all just a bunch of crazy idiots who go on killing sprees and blow up buildings just for fun? 'What am I up to?' Brunch! That's it!"

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing," she said, getting more aggravated. There was a moment of silence before she looked me up and down and said, a little friendlier "You might wanna get that cleaned up,"

"Y-yeah,"

"I'll help,"

"I'm fine,"

"Too bad," With that, she was grabbing me by the arm and heading straight into the bathroom. Together we got the egg off my shirt and out of my hair as best as we could.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "I thought you held a grudge against me and Josh,"

"I've got nothing against you personally," she explained. "I was only attacking you because you were in my way. It's your boyfriend I'm after, not-"

"Josh isn't my boyfriend," I corrected.

"Well...you live with him, don't you?"

"Yes," Wait, how would she know that?

"I mean like, really, you guys are like a couple; and he's pretty ..." she trailed off before correcting herself "not that bad...you know, he's alright and stuff. Like, okay. Yeah. And you're like, gorgeous,"

I raised an eyebrow. _Did she really mean to say that...what was she saying? Did she find me attractive, and _that's_ why she targeted Joshua? No...that was a bit extreme, but it wouldn't totally surprise..._

"No! I mean, you're cute! Gah! Like, you're also not bad. I mean that in a totally heterosexual way! Really!"

"...Um..."

"You're cute, but I mean that in a straight way. And the glasses are cute too. And you're uh...yeah,"

"Oh, okay,"

Her eyes narrowed. "You were thinking that, weren't you?"

"Thinking what?"

"Hey, are you two okay out there?" Lauren asked as she stepped out of the bathroom stall. As she saw us just standing there at the sinks, and what we'd just said, her jaw dropped.

"Um..."

"Don't ask!" groaned Vengeance.

I flushed, and she facepalmed. And then, I did too.

* * *

** Okay, there it is. XD I had fun with this chapter, can you tell? I wanted this to be longer, but I was strapped for time. Don't worry though, part 2 is on its way! :D  
**


	15. Chapter 14: Odd Turn of Events

**At long last, the next chapter! I'll be sure to make a second update today, I promise. It's been a while since I updated anything here, and frankly, I just want this one to be finished! So good luck, review, hope you enjoy!^_^**

**FYI, this is still Raven's POV. Next chapter will have Venge's.  
**

* * *

So here I was, with perhaps one of the most dangerous people I could be with right now, in the bathroom. We stared at each other, blinked maybe once or twice, and after about a minute or so, Vengeance finally shrugged and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Um...outside?"

"I'd like to ask what it is you're doing here," I said.

She turned around to face me, looking more confused than defensive. I was doing my best to not look nervous, but I was picking at my thumb behind my back. After what Edward had told me about homunculi, I could only imagine the worst if I messed up. But if she wasn't lying about earlier...about actually_ being..._

"Didn't I tell you already?" she broke my train of thought.

"Huh?"

"That I'm just out for brunch? No trouble?"

"Yes," I said, following behind as she started heading out. "Forgive me if I can't get the image out of my mind of the same person who attacked my best friend and I the other night!" My tone slowly rose to a shout. Now I was trailing behind her as she started quickening her pace.

"Well...I mean c'mon, that was payback...you have any idea what those bastards put me through?"

"Josh and I haven't even met you!"

"I'm talking about the others,"

"What others?" I snapped.

"The other homunculi," she was almost running now. And heading straight for the door. Without even paying, no less.

"Do you think we had anything to do with those people, whoever they are?"

"Wha- well it's your fault I'm with them you know!"

"Then it's your fault that _we're_ in an apartment and Josh is missing a leg!"

She came to an abrupt stop, almost causing me to crash right into her. She turned her head to face me.

"Okay fine," she said through gritted teeth.

"'Okay fine' what?" I asked. I never realized just how angry I'd been up till now. I was lucky she wasn't mauling me on the spot.

"Okay...I wanted to talk to you about..." she turned around completely, then glanced up at the buildings around the city. She grabbed my hand. "Um, think there's a way we can meet up in secret?"

"Where are you going with this?" I asked, pulling my hand back and crossing both arms in front of me. She was acting completely different from the other night. And if anything, it made her scarier.

"I can't let _them _know that I'm talking to you," she said.

"Well, if anyone's watching you right now, they'd already know you're talking to me, right?" I pointed out.

"Don't be a smartass Raven,"

"I'm only stating the facts,"

She pouted, in a way that was all too much like Julia always did. "Fine. Just...I'll meet you at your place, okay?"

"I don't know if I can trust you," I said.

She pouted again.

"Do you really expect me to let the person who almost killed me into my house? Not to offend you or anything, but I can't just get over something like that so easily. Sorry, but no,"

Yet another pout.

"Look," I sighed. "If you want to tell me something, tell it to me here. No one knows about _you-know-what _anyway, so as long as you're not too loud about it, nobody will hear,"

"They know about _you-know-what _now thanks to your big mouth," she smirked. Okay, maybe she had a point.

"Alright," I said, readjusting my glasses. "I'll think of a time and a place. You can meet me there...hopefully tonight. Whatever it is you want to say,"

"Got it,"

"And I'll inform the Amestrian military, just in case you're trying to pull anything with me,"

"Wh-WHAT?"

"I'm not taking any chances. You could be just trying to get information out of me, or something,"

She glared at me for a moment, then shrugged. "Fine," she said. "' Guess it's fair,"

And with that, she walked off. That's when I remembered...

"Hey!" I called as I ran after her. "You forgot to pay the bill!"

* * *

**Hm...not what you expected it to be, is it? Heh, Vengeance probably has some kind of bipolar issues...maybe it's because she's a homunculus. I always thought homunculi just went crazy from the screaming souls they had inside them, and they more or less all end up with some kind of problem. Anyways, review!**


	16. Chapter 15: Allies

**Here's to the double-update after an obscenely long putting-off from finishing! Venge's POV, by the way. Get ready for a massive plot twist...**

* * *

I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect, but at least I could know Raven and I were meeting. If I could've had one of the other homunculi keep an eye out for anything _they _were trying to pull on _me, _I would've, but nobody came to mind. Except maybe Wrath. Dammit! Why didn't I think of him?

I looked down at the neatly-folded piece of paper she'd given to me, with directions on how to get there. I wondered if I should even go, considering that little voice in the back of my head that kept screaming "YOU IDIOT YOU #$%ING IDIOT!" Did I really trust her, what with the military being involved? Especially...crap! Especially because Pride was in charge of the military. I slapped myself in the face for not thinking of telling her. "You idiot, you #$%ing idiot!" Unless maybe she didn't tell _him _specifically...

Finally, I reached the place. It was some motel in this obscure part of Amestris. I saw a man in a royal blue uniform standing at a door, motioning me to come in. I gulped.

Even while wearing my trenchcoat, I still felt a chill go up my spine. I thought just how ass-brained it was to do this, but whatever. If it got too crazy, I could just explode my way out, right?

"So," a voice said. I looked up to meet the man to whom it belonged. Deep black eyes stared back at mine. "You were the same homunculus seen a while back right?"

"Uh..yeah. You heard of me, that's cool," I chuckled nervously. Wow, was that the wrong thing to say.

"Well, yes. Anyway, try not to cause any trouble. A friend of Fullmetal's asked us if we could come here in case you did anything. Believe me, if I had it my way I'd probably just have you burned," he said, in a surprisingly upbeat tone.

_Oh yeah? Well I bet I could burn you first! _I thought, but only giggled and rubbed the back of my neck. Just perfect, how epically failing I was.

I walked inside the place. Raven was there, sitting on a couch, Josh right next to her, his crutches leaning against a wall. I took a seat in a chair across from them.

"Okay," Raven said. "Whatever it is you need to say, just say it,"

After a nervous pause, I laughed awkwardly. "Heh, this feels like I'm about to get 'the talk' from my parents or something,"

"I'm serious!" Raven pressed, even though Josh was laughing too.

"Okay," I said, still grinning a bit. Josh was trying to stifle his own laughter until Raven nudged him. Man, she was way too serious sometimes.

"Okay," I repeated. "I uh...I've been thinking. That even though I kind of have this grudge against Josh and all...well, and to be honest, you too Rae,"

"Why me?"

"You stabbed me with a knife and chased me out a diner!" I spouted. "I hope you get fired from that job!"

"Excuse me, but that job is keeping us both in a place to stay,"

"Wanna trade places with me? It sucks!"

"It sucks for us too! You realize that, right?"

"Screw you! Try having Bastard-sama for a mentor?"

"I don't know who that guy is, but we're barely above homelessness,"

"Good! And you know what? I'd take homeless over the assholes I actually call a family!"

"The two of us have been struggling to get by ever since -"

"BOTH OF YOU GUYS!" Josh finally stopped us. "Come on you two. We're supposed to be talking about...whatever it is Vengeance wanted us to talk about. And I don't think it was supposed to be an argument,"

"You're right. We're sorry for that, that was juvenile of us both," Raven said.

"Whatever," I shrugged.

"Okay, so what did you want to say, er, Vengeance?" Josh asked.

"Well..." I breathed. "I uh...know what? I'll just come out and say it; I'm sick of this,"

"'This'?" he asked.

"Yeah, all of it. The other homunculi treat me like crap, I still hate you, I'm the buttmonkey of the entire group...did I mention I friggin hate you?"

"And...?" Josh prodded.

"And...heh...and I just think it makes no sense that I'm taking it all out on you," I said. "I mean, okay fine, it's kind of your fault, but really, who do I really honest to God want to beat the crap out of? You? Hah! You're an easier target, that's for sure, but you're not getting me anywhere,"

"Vengeance, where are you going with this?" Raven asked.

I sighed. "I...well, really, I just want to be back to normal," I said. "Like...I get these memories of my past life...they're all really fuzzy, but you know, I just feel like I want to reach out and grab at them...but they're just out of my reach. And I know I can't get them back without you guys,"

Josh's eyes brightened up. He looked at Raven, then at me, then said "Do..do you really mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"You mean you'll join us and we can help you be a human again?"

"Uh...yeah,"

Raven spoke up. "You mean, even if that involves going against the other people you're working with?"

"Yes,"

"But wouldn't that mean you're betraying your own kind?"

"Of course!"

"I'm sorry," Raven said, adjusting her glasses. "but it sounds too good to be true. I don't entirely believe you,"

I pouted. To be fair, I didn't do a whole lot to prove that I was entirely on their side. Truth be told, I wasn't on their side...I was on whoever's side would promise to bring my humanity back, and theirs just looked like I had a better shot at it.

Josh smiled at me.

"Hm?"

"It's funny, you do it just like..." he glanced down, "kind of how our friend used to pout,"

"Oh yeah? I..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "...well, aren't I technically your friend anyway?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Raven muttered with a smirk.

"I heard that you know," I shot back.

"Alright," she answered, "well, sorry; forgive me if I think 'friend' is a little much for someone like you. You don't exactly treat us like friends, that's for sure,"

Ouch. Sheesh, she was definitely holding a grudge. Not that I cared.

"Okay," I said, brushing it off. "But...just so you know, you aren't getting any intel from me on the other homunculi. They're assholes, that's all you need to know,"

"Why would we want intel on them?" Raven asked.

"Isn't that why you brought the military into this?"

"We brought the military because you blew up a train, and nearly killed us too," Josh said. "I mean, with that heat-power of yours,"

"Right," I rolled my eyes. This wasn't exactly going too well. "But...uh, just how many people in the military know about this? About us meeting...and me, I mean?"

"Why?" asked Josh.

"Just tell me," I said.

Raven and Josh looked at each other. They must've thought what I asked was a little suspicious, which it was, and I was mentally kicking my own ass for asking it. Why did I always run my damn mouth?

"Well..." Raven began, "At least as far as we know, Edward and Alphonse, plus Mustang and his team are the only ones who know about it,"

"Mustang...is that the guy I met at the door?"

"Yes, it was,"

"So is he the one that's going to fry me if I do anything funny?"

"Yeah probably," laughed Josh.

Well, at least I knew we were friends now.

"So uh," I stood up, the other two looking up at me. "I...I might not be the best person to get along with, but I'll try. I just want to get my humanity back, that's all. So what do you say? Are we like, friends now?"

Raven stood up, and Josh struggled to his crutches. The latter hobbled over to me, shifting his weight on his one leg, and reached out a hand.

"I wouldn't call us 'friends' yet," he said, "but we're on the same side now and all, so what's that called Raven?"

"Allies," she said. "We're allies,"

"Right," I shook his hand, "Okay, that's cool. We're allies,"

* * *

**OMG plot twist! Yup Vengeance is on the good guys' side now...maybe. I dunno, I thought about why she'd be so hell bent on torturing Josh, but if there's anyone she should be mad at, it's Envy. Something tells me she's in for some serious crap. (As if she hasn't been through it already! XD)**

**And...yay, Roy Mustang cameo! I feel like I totally butchered it on his character, but the scene was pretty short, so I guess it's okay. I really want to try to have the canon cast in here a little more, so I'll do my best to get them into later chapters.  
**

**As always, please review!  
**


	17. Chapter 16: Ruined

We were about to head out when we heard the sound of a loud crash. We all looked at each other, pretty much all saying "Oh crap" with our expression.

"For the record, that is _**not** _my fault!" I blurted. I ran to the door. My guess was that one of the other homunculi had been watching the whole time - probably Envy. I was screwed.

"Sis!"

"Wrath?"

I bolted. A few of the soldiers tried to stop me, but I made it just close enough to Wrath before getting a bullet to the shoulder. I yelped.

"Idiot" I hissed at Wrath. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you!"

"Thanks a lot, you just got me in a lot of trouble,"

"Envy said you were defecting from us,"

"He says a lot of things dammit! Why did you think he was telling the truth?"

"Well he's right, isn't he?" he snapped. "Because you're here and you're going to team up with them!"

There was a few seconds' pause, with a whole group of Amestrian military pointing their guns at me. Wrath had already said _way_ too much. Without a second thought, I backhanded him across the face.

"Ow! Traitor!"

"Shut up!" I yelled. "Whoever said...whoever said I was a traitor? Do you really think I'd go and do something like that? Like...like I'd actually side with these guys? I mean...they're responsible for all the crap I've been through!"

"So why did you agree to meet them?"

"Well..." I was coming up with something on the spot, hoping I could manage a plan. "...it was to throw them off. But now that you had to go and mess everything up..."

BANG! A gunshot, this one hitting right in front of my feet.

"Don't move. Both of you are coming with us. If you make any attempt to escape, the next shot is in your face," I met eyes with the blonde, gold-eyed woman aiming her gun at me.

This wasn't turning out well _at all._

"Just take me," I said, glancing down at Wrath. "Let him go,"

"Venge, what are you doing?"

"Winging it," I muttered to him. "Got any ideas?"

"Like what?" he whispered.

"Getting us out of here,"

Suddenly, Wrath clapped both hands together and struck them palms-down on the ground. There was a burst of blue-white light, dirt and gravel and brick flying up everywhere, and the next thing I knew, I was falling. Dust, dirt and rubble swirled around me on all sides, hitting me and crushing me. After the longest ten seconds ever, it all stopped. Thank God I could regenerate.

"Nii-san?" I coughed. I was in a sewer.

The sound of footsteps echoing through the walls was the first thing I got in response. If he could pull a stunt like the one he just did, he'd probably manage escaping them on his own. Right now, I just had to worry about myself...

"Arrgh! No!" I growled, punching the stone wall. That was Envy's philosophy, his whole agenda revolved around caring about himself and nobody else. But...wasn't that what I did too?

Footsteps again. Now was not the time to worry about personal ethics. Now was getting away and trying not to think too hard about just how badly this had gone wrong. Now...it smelled awful.

"Hold it right there!"

It was her again, the one who shot me. We stood about fifteen feet apart from each other, and no easy way to get out. Except one...

My legs exploded, and I went flying like a rocket. When I landed, it was head-first into the sewer water. Great, just great. It only took a few seconds for my legs to regenerate. As soon as they were back, I ran.

"Sis?" I heard from a short way off. Yes! He was okay!

"Right here!" I called back. For as horrible as this night had went, I was happy right now. He was safe.

"Did we lose 'em?" he asked as soon as we saw each other.

"I think so, but let's still be careful that we don't run into them," I answered. "If we can find a way out of here..."

A bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit me in the back. Another got Wrath.

"They're close!"

"No kidding," he said back. Envy's sarcasm was really rubbing off on him...

"Run!"

We both raced through the narrow sewer passageways as fast as we could, occasionally stumbling in the mucky water. Finally, after losing count of tripping face-first into swill and accidentally swallowing some, I came to a hault.

"Vengeance?"

"This is getting us nowhere," I said. "If getting out means making another big damned explosion, then we might as well do it, okay?"

He grinned. I grinned back. I don't know why, because this was going to hurt like hell...

"Ready?" I said.

"Ready,"

"NOW!"

The world went white. The force of the blast felt like a nuke dropped on me...or rather, _in _me. At first there was no pain, just white, and a muffled shuffling of rocks and debris. Then came the pain. Every inch of me felt like it was on fire, or soaking in acid. I hadn't felt this terrible since the train explosion. Finally, the regeneration kicked in. That was always weird, because sometimes it would sting, othertimes itch, sometimes it tickled. Right now, it was all three.

Once I was all in one piece, I stood up and looked around. The damage I'd just caused was incredible. If anyone in there had lived through that explosion, it was a miracle. I couldn't help but start giggling. I soon worked it up to loud, maniacal fits of laughter.

I blew it. _LITERALLY _blew it. There was no way I could convince Raven and Josh I was on their side now. Or anyone for that matter. I screwed up. I tried to fix things, and it had only ended in disaster.

So why then was I laughing? Then it hit me - it was me! I was laughing at myself! The cycle of the Ourobourus was a never ending cycle of biting yourself in the ass!

I was a joke even to myself.

* * *

**I'll bet you did _not _see that coming! The last part where she's laughing like a psycho was kind of inspired by the (in)famous LOLzaku scene in _Code Geass _(AWESOME anime, by the way!). I kind of wanted the last scene to be dramatic, but...well, maybe not.**

**Anyway, hopefully things will get better (*cough*yeah right*cough*), and...RIZA! Riza totally pwned Vengeance! Yeah well, anyways...REVIEW!  
**


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